Somewhere Only We Know
by PersianFreak
Summary: BACK TO REGULAR UPDATES: Eric is a bar-owner in Nowhere, Louisiana, whose life was altered by the Great Revelation. A twist on CH's entire universe. AU/OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Somewhere Only We Know **by _PersianFreak_

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris, I just consider them my playmates.

Rating: Mature

A/N: So this a new angle I have never seen portrayed in any SVM stories; that isn't to say it doesn't exist, since I'll be the first to admit I tend to stick with reading a certain handful of authors and nothing else. So if this sounds familiar or similar to another story you've read, I plead innocence.  
>Having said that, I'd love to hear what you guys think. I haven't quite decided where this is going to end up, but in the meantime I figured I'd start posting a chapter every now and then.<br>Please let me know what you think, I'd love some feedback here =]

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><p>You could definitely say that by the time an <em>actual<em> vampire of the non-Halloween variety walked through our doors, I had given up all hope of ever meeting one. It had been three years since vampires came out of the coffin – an expression that made me wince – but you couldn't blame the undead for not bothering to stop by Bon Temps, LA, of all places. Not when New Orleans with its teeming nightlife was a mere five hours away by car, or less I suppose, if the rumours about vampiric super-speeds were true.

The night that I later identified as the night that changed my life was a weeknight in mid-May, though not even the heat could keep me from wearing what my best friend Sam called my city-boy jeans, because they were fitted dark-wash jeans that I'd been wearing with my signature white t-shirt and vest. Mixing some rum and coke's for the folks playing pool, I was entertained to witness their game going to shit as they got progressively more and more liquored up, and I nudged Sam as he walked by me to get a beer for himself. At five feet and ten inches my best friend was still a good half-foot shorter than me, something that had been an issue with us ever since we became friends in grade school. Or not an issue at all, if you looked at it that way, because it had never stopped us becoming like brothers.

"Check it out," I muttered and Sam followed my line of sight to where Arlene was attempting to climb Jason Stackhouse like a pole, probably because Sam had been doing paperwork in the back and I'd pretended to be far busier than I had been behind the bar.

"Did you shoot her down?" Sam asked.

"No, I asked her to go home with me. What do you think?"

"Smartass." He punched me in the bicep and I laughed, handing him a scotch in lieu of the beer he'd been aiming for.

"It's on me."

"Thanks, man. Think Jason is upset that he's always third on her list of potentials?"

I smirked, wiping down the bar. "Think Jason has enough brain power to draw that conclusion?"

"I don't know, women hitting on him is the one thing he pays attention to," Sam shrugged.

"Are you upset that I'm always first on her list?" I asked, batting my eyelashes and laughing when he slapped the back of my head.

"I'm all torn up inside." We fell silent as Arlene's hand ghosted over Jason's cock and his eyes widened as it finally dawned on him that Arlene wasn't just being friendly. Or if she was, her definition of "friends" was the kind that could make a whore blush.

It was at that moment, on a night so filled with familiarity that it was practically non-descript, that she walked into _Outlaws'_ and knocked the well-versed routine of our lives completely out of whack.

The thing was that she slipped in silently, not drawing any attention to herself as she slid into a booth in the corner and busied herself with the menu tucked into the condiments basket.

"Am I losing it or is that a vamp?" Sam muttered and the woman's mouth twitched. It was definitely my turn to hit him.

"She heard you, dumbass." Everybody knew vampires had flawless hearing. I threw down the rag and wiped my hands on my jeans as I headed over, pushing my horn-rimmed glasses up my nose as I went. "Hey there. Welcome to _Outlaws'_, what can I get you?" Up close it became obvious that she was absolutely gorgeous; perfectly curvy with delicate features, full lips and wavy blonde hair that reached her waist. When she spoke her voice was soft and cool, confident, and I wished she would speak more just so I could hear her Southern drawl even though everyone else around these parts had one too.

"Do you have any of that blood substitute?" She looked up from the menu and for a moment as she caught sight of me, her eyes betrayed utter shock before she tamped it down. I shook off the curiosity.

"We sure do. Just got a case of True Blood. What type do you prefer?" Blue eyes raked down my body and her nostrils flared as she inhaled, and I felt like a piece of meat – not objectified like I'd been many times since I'd hit puberty, but literally like I was somebody's dinner.

"That depends on what type you are."

I cleared my throat and gave her a flirty look. "A-negative."

"Sounds perfect," she purred.

"Coming right up. A bottle of A-neg for…?"

"Sookie."

"Just Sookie? As in, Madonna or Sting?"

"Just Sookie." She pursed her lips in what I identified as a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Sookie. I'm Eric." I grinned, adding, "I'll be right back with your drink." Back behind the bar, Sam called me a pussy and I ignored him in favour of heating up a bottle in the microwave.

"Everybody is staring," my best friend muttered and I glanced up discreetly to find he was right. Arlene looked outraged while the rest of her pool-playing, liquor-soaked friends looked on in awe. The dozen or so other residents of Bon Temps were doing their best not to stare, even though I could clearly see Jessica Hamby rapidly texting under the table and whispering to her best friend Missy.

Sometimes, the citizens of Bon Temps had just too damn much time on their hands.

888

I groaned when I came and rolled off, pulling the sheets up to cover us when the air conditioning unit mounted on the wall kicked in. Dawn hummed happily as she rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows to smile at me, her brown curls a bigger mess than usual. I couldn't help feeling proud of how thoroughly fucked she looked, since there were literally times when I could barely keep up with her and her overactive libido. She'd told me I was the only one man enough to handle her, which had been a good ego boost if a bit upsetting when one counted all the men she'd slept with.  
>On second thought, Dawn was like Arlene except not desperate, which made a lot of difference. Besides, her tits were fucking amazing and you could bounce a quarter off her ass, even if her personality left a little something to be desired. That little something being grace and charm, and manners too, sometimes.<br>Oh, and a heart.

It really was too fucking bad I actually liked her, Sam always muttered when I was around. He wasn't completely off-base either; I didn't mind Dawn. She was good in bed and her attitude I could handle, but only because I didn't want to admit out loud that I was lonely.

"You gonna sleep over?"

That usually meant morning sex. I felt tired just thinking about it; the last remnants of my hard-on rapidly dissipated in seeming agreement, and I shook my head. "There's a beer shipment coming in at eight." I wasn't even lying; this was my punishment for peacing out of _Outlaws'_ three hours before closing to fuck Dawn and leaving Sam to fend for himself. Sometimes, co-owning a business with my best friend was a pain in the ass, though I couldn't really complain since it had become wildly successful; enough that Sam and I both lived quite comfortably and managed to pay a pretty decent wage to all our employees.

"Fine." Dawn pouted.

"I'm sure you can manage without sex for a few hours," I smirked as I pulled on my boxers and glanced around for everything else. My glasses were on the nightstand and with them on I rapidly located my clothes, checking in my pockets to make sure my wallet and phone were still there.

"Why should I manage when I can always find somebody to scratch my itch?"

"Indeed. Jason is always down, or so I hear." That man was the butt of so many of my jokes. It was his fault; he was dumb as a doorknob and sluttier than any Playboy bunny, which was a shame because his Gran was the most fantastic woman I'd ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Now, Dawn scoffed at me for not taking the bait and I gave her a look because she really should know better than that. We had fun but I refused to put up with being mindfucked, and I was lonely but not desperate enough to put up with her shit. Once dressed, I bent down to kiss her cheek and wish her a goodnight, biting back a snarky suggestion that she call me if she couldn't find someone else to 'scratch her itch'. She had so many 'itches', she should get tested, I chuckled to myself as I got on my bike. In bed a while later, I folded my arms under my head and stared up at the ceiling. Sookie the vampire hadn't come into Outlaws' since that night last week, but it was common knowledge that she lived on the outskirts of town. Slowly, the rumour mill ignited by her arrival and continued presence in town had begun to die down, though it didn't take away from the oddity of the whole thing.

With a groan, I recalled the person I had been fantasizing about as I fucked Dawn. I wondered what it would be like, having sex with a cold undead person, to be inside someone who wasn't warm? Part of me was completely put off but a bigger part was absolutely fascinated.

The next day started far too early for my liking, which was anticipated but not any more welcome. The shipment was right on time but our barback Rene was not, so to say I was pissy and exhausted by the time the lunch rush hit would be an understatement.

"Hi, Happy."

"Hi, Dopey," I shot back and Sam raised his brows at me.

"Tough morning after your relaxing night?"

I ignored the jab. "I'm going to fire Rene." And potentially break off my non-relationship with Dawn. I was tired of her attitude, and that squeaky sound she made when she was cumming.

My friend shrugged. "Do what you want, he's a shitty employee. Was he late today?"

"I had to carry the boxes inside this morning," I nodded.

"Tommy is looking for a job," Sam told me with a look that told me he wasn't sure he wanted his brother working for him so it was my job to convince him either way.

"We could give that a try as long as he doesn't think being related to you means he can get away with murder. Honestly, nothing can be as bad as Rene."

Sam gave that some thought. "I could have a talk with him. I'll let you know. He'll be on probation for a couple of weeks so we could see how he's doing and then make a decision."

I nodded as I gingerly rotated my arm to ease off the soreness, switching to the other arm as Tara burst in.

"Hey, bosses." She grinned, eying Sam up and down so I turned my head away from Tara to give him an exaggerated version of the same look. He ignored me.

"Hey Tara." I turned back to smile at her while Sam blushed and tried to relocate his balls.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to go back and get my phone."

"Don't worry about it, it's only a couple minutes past eleven," I patted her shoulder and walked out of the employee break room, leaving Sam to be his adorable little self. Why he didn't just ask her out was a mystery to me.

I checked in with our cook Lafayette who was doing some last minute prep work and he whistled in approval at the wifebeater and khakis I was wearing, a huge step down from what I usually wore.

"You like?"

"I sure do, sweet lips!" He gave his own glossed lips an obnoxious lick and twirled his knife around so I would give him a 360-degree look at my outfit. I winked and smacked my own ass as I walked away, smiling when I heard his laughter following me out. Lafayette was probably the funniest person I knew, and the bravest for being an openly gay black man in backwater Louisiana. Somehow, his fuck-you attitude got him complete acceptance within the local community at least.

Out in the restaurant I took my post at the bar, slicing some lemons for the few drinks I would be serving up to the lunch crowd. At least it was Sam's turn to bartend for dinner, which meant that I could hang around and do my share of the paperwork or take the work home with me and do it on the couch, which I usually preferred. With that thought in mind I brightened up and got through the rest of the day quite easily, chatting with Tara, Holly and Jessica as the lunch rush hit and died out. Tara had the misfortune of being the one waitress to work the gap between lunch and dinner, so when she began wiping down tables and tidying up the menus, I headed to the office where Sam was being a coward.

"I'm going to ask her out for you if you don't do it, you know," I told him as I stretched out on the couch we used for midday catnaps.

"If I wanted to ask her out, I would ask her out," he responded without even looking up from he monitor.

"So you're into the pining-from-a-distance thing? Sam, that girl has wanted you since you hit puberty, and she makes you act like a teenager. Just man up and ask her out already."

"Shh, I'm busy."

I sighed, rolling my eyes before closing them. "At least go out there and keep her company while I take a nap." There was silence and I cracked one eye open to watch Sam do as I told him like he occasionally did.

He burst in ten minutes later and stood over me until I looked at him. "What do you want, Samuel?"

"Did you do this?"

I cast a look around the room. "Did I do what?" I asked cautiously.

"You put her up to this, didn't you? Because I said I wasn't going to ask her out you went behind my back and got her to ask _me_ out?"

"Tara?" I grinned, sitting up. "She asked you out? What'd you say?" He stared at me blankly. "Oh my god, you walked away to come bitch me out, didn't you?"

"I thought you were fucking with me."

"You dumbass! Go tell the girl you'll go out with her!"

"Will I go out with her?" He still looked like the thought of Tara honestly asking him out had never occurred to him.

"Well if you don't, I might just have to kill you with my own bare hands." I sighed and dragged him out to the floor where Tara was absent-mindedly wiping down a table. "Hey T," I called out to get her attention and she looked over, turning to face us when she saw Sam. "He thought I had gotten you to ask him out just to mess with him," I explained and realization dawned on her face, so I pushed Sam in front of me. "I'm going to be in the back, alright? Answer her with your words, Samuel." As I walked away I heard Sam haltingly apologize and I smiled to myself, endlessly entertained by this turn of events. Not that there had ever been a shortage of women who wanted Sam; we'd always been the guys that had never had to chase girls, but Tara had always been shy in order to not draw attention to her tattered clothes and her alcoholic mother. It had been years though, of her quietly crushing on Sam and never having the courage to ask him out while Sam cluelessly dated other girls. It hadn't been until after Tara came back from her first year of college that Sam had really sat up and taken notice; she'd started smiling more openly and being more confident all around, which I knew to be due to all the attention she had gotten from college boys, and so begun their seven-year mutual crush.

And I was completely done with watching them make puppy-dog eyes at each other.

Sam had better fucking say 'yes'.

I was flipping through a catalogue for hardwood and wood-panelling options for the remodel Sam and I were considering when he walked back in, looking rather dazed.

"What's going on?"

"She kissed me."

Internally, I did a little happy jig. I formed a carefully curious expression, "Oh really? How'd that go?" My friend sunk down into the chair across from me. Well, I guess there was my answer. I left him to find Tara wiping down another table, though now with a coy little smile on her face. I smiled too and made sure the bar was also clean and good to go before calling out a goodbye to them both and heading home. As I made my way home I realized I wasn't really in the mood to be alone so I only stopped long enough to shower and change before heading over to the Stackhouse property on Hummingbird Lane. I'd spent a huge amount of time here as a child along with Sam, back when we had been three tiny musketeers with Jason. Our differences grew more prominent as we grew older and our friendship faded, though my affection for Jason's grandmother and sole guardian remained. I could see her peeking out through the curtains as I pulled up behind the house and I parked my bike.

"Eric! Hello sweetheart." She beamed, meeting me on the porch. I bent down to wrap my arms around her and inhale the scent of pecan pie.

"How's my favourite lady?"

"Oh hush," she smacked me. "You know I'm always the same. Come in, come in. What brings you here?"

I followed her inside, "Just thought I'd drop by, see how you're doing."

"Aw, you're sweet. Have you had lunch yet?"

"Depends on what you've got," I winked. I was not about to turn down any of Adele's cooking, or baking. God I hoped there was baking. The heavenly scents wafting from the kitchen led me to believe there would be.

"I just baked a pecan pie and there's cherry peach cobbler in the fridge too." She gave me a knowing smile and began to get out some plates while I got the coffee machine going.

"Oh Adele. Would it be forward of me to ask you to marry me?"

"You're going to have to pay me far more attention for _that_ to happen," she winked and set down a plate with pie and cobbler in front of me.

"I know, I know. I've been really busy." I pouted in what I hoped was a convincing manner and moaned loudly at the first bite of pie. I ended up helping Adele out with some housework that at the age of eighty she could no longer manage herself, not that I minded at all. She was like the grandmother I never had, since mine had both passed before I had been born, and my parents were considerably less affectionate. By the time I was done cleaning the old farmhouse's gutters and dusting the chandelier in the living room it was just past five and Adele insisted I stay for dinner. Twist my arm…  
>"Need help?"<p>

"No, you just sit there and keep me company," she smiled and set to making her famous Stackhouse fried chicken. After the amazing dinner I helped clean up before deciding to finally leave Adele be. I kissed her wrinkled cheek and gave her a tight hug before jumping on my bike. It was dark out by that point and I wondered if Sookie was up yet, and what a vampire's evening routine was. A smile stretched across my face as I imagined her showering and having a True Blood; domestic things that would be so at odds with what most people would imagine vampires doing. To my surprise I realized I was looking forward to seeing her again, soon.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey, so you guys are pretty awesome! Some of you mentioned that you had read stories with Barowner!Eric and Vamp!Sookie but not exactly identical to this one, so I'm going to go ahead and post this, even though I'm on vacay in NYC (where I'm stalking ASkars. Jokes.) As always, I'd love to hear what you think, even though I didn't have time to respond to y'all the last time around (and I'm so very sorry about that). If there are any typos, blame it on the time, since it's midnight. And also, once again, remember that I sadly can't update very often, so bear with me.  
>All my love,<br>Pers.

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><p><em>Chapter 2<em>

Three nights later my wish came true when Sookie walked in and took a seat right in front of me at the bar.

"What can I get you?" I asked, not hiding my pleasure at seeing her.

"The same," she answered coyly.

"A-negative, coming right up," I smiled back and retrieved the correct bottle, popping it into the microwave to heat it. "How has Bon Temps been treating you?" I asked conversationally and she shrugged.

"Well. I've been busy with renovations to my home but it's tough, getting people to get back to me when I'm only awake at night."

I shook out the bottle and slid it across the bar with a napkin. "What do you need done?"

"Some electrical rewiring and I need a new floor. The painting I can do myself," she added with a shrug.

"Well, why don't I come over and see if I can help?" I offered. "I'm a pretty good handyman."

"Even if you do say so yourself," she teased.

"Oh I have references," I assured her with a grin.

"Okay," Sookie laughed. "When are you free?"

I glanced at the time, it was past midnight already. "We close at one, so I should be done here by two at the latest and then I can come take a look?"

"Sounds like a deal. I've got a book, mind if I hang around?"

I liked how casually she diverged from the vampire archetype, and smiled as I responded, "Of course not. Do you want to go sit in the office? It's quieter."

"I'd rather hang out with you," she admitted and I felt my face light up with pleasure. I liked her, in that hesitant middle school way that gave me the butterflies and made me shy, which was all a new experience for me past the age of ten. But based on her actions I guessed that she liked me too, though I was unclear on how vampires went about relationships.

_Outlaws'_ was closed by half past one and I followed Sookie out to the parking lot where I hesitated, shooting a puzzled look at her. "How did you get here?" The lot was empty.

"I ran," she shrugged.

"Vampire speed?" I guessed and she confirmed it with a nod. "You're going to have to give me directions." She did, and opted for riding my bike with me. I smiled internally when she wrapped her cool body around mine and even rested her head on my shoulder, holding tight as I took us to her little cottage on the outskirts of town. She had a little porch out front and a comfortable-looking swing reminiscent of the one Adele had, though the paint on the window shutters was peeling and in need of some work. Sookie was right about needing a new floor, and I asked her what she had in mind for it and for the place as a whole. The front room was the living room and she had barely furnished it, telling me that she was waiting on the renovations before she really moved in. The kitchen and a bedroom were at the back of the house, and a little hallway led to the bathroom and the narrow set of stairs that led downstairs to the custom-built basement Sookie told me she'd had to ensure would be completed by the time she moved in. It was light-tight and quite secure, and happened to be the only room Sookie didn't show me, which I understood. The place where you spend twelve vulnerable hours in would not be on anyone's house tour. I figured I could do the job, free of charge, though Sookie insisted otherwise.

"I will accept alternative forms of payment," I told her, shaking my head.

"Such as?" Her brow quirked upwards.

"Go out on a date with me."

A small smile curved across her face, though she shook her head as she quietly explained, "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"So you just flirted with me for fun?"

"It's not that I'm not interested. I just don't think I'm in a position where I can date you."

"Because you're only awake at nights?" I cocked my head to the side. She was keeping something from me.

"No."

"I see."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I grinned. "I'll wear you down eventually."

"That's awfully confident of you."

"It's a gift. And a curse," I sighed dramatically and she laughed at me. My phone buzzed at that moment with a text from Dawn, asking me if I wanted to meet up. I ignored it – she would just think I was already asleep – and put the phone back in my pocket. Sookie noticed and asked me if there was someone waiting for me. Was that a subtle way of asking if I had a girlfriend? Right after I asked her out? I wasn't sure.

"No," I replied, mirroring her earlier tight-lipped response.

"I see," she smiled, not looking at all upset at my subterfuge.

For the next few weeks I would head over to Sookie's on my nights off to help her with the renovations. We would sit on the floor and watch TV or just talk whenever I would take a break, and she started storing human food to offer me when I came over. A couple of times she insisted that I didn't need to work so late into the night but I genuinely didn't mind, the simple company she offered was more than enough incentive for me to stay with the work as my excuse, and as time went on I genuinely began to regard her as a friend.  
>A friend I wanted to date, despite her continued resistance.<p>

By the end of the three weeks Sookie's little cottage had polished cherry hardwood flooring and functioning electrical sockets and lights, plus flawless paintjobs in every room. With the last stroke of the paintbrush I flopped unceremoniously onto the hardwood and stared up at my hard work, feeling beyond pleased with myself. Looking up at the sound of footsteps I saw Sookie carrying a slice of pie and a glass of iced tea for me, wearing a smile identical to mine.

"All done?"

"Yup! Is that for me?" She set down the tray and I dug in gratefully while Sookie sank down beside me to take a good look around. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks great! Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me, go out with me instead."

She didn't even bother responding to that, choosing instead to continue admiring the walls. Undeterred, I leaned back on my hands, my palms planted far enough away that Sookie was almost in my arms. She gave me a look to let me know she realized what I was doing, but didn't move away. I knew I had to leave soon but was unwilling to accept the fact just yet, content as I was just to sit on Sookie's floor in the silence.

"I should go," I murmured at last, desperately wanting her to ask me to stay.

"It is late," she agreed instead and I bit back a groan.

"So I'll see you later." And with that, I left, sighing as I answered my ringing phone.

888

My head fell back against the wall as her lips eased around my cock and I groaned, enjoying the sensations washing over me.

"So-" I snapped myself out of the haze of pleasure, mortified and fairly embarrassed at how close I'd come to saying the wrong name. The warm mouth on my cock moved down to take in my balls and my groan grew in urgency. "So good," I murmured, as a bit of a cover up for my earlier indiscretion and Dawn hummed, returning to her earlier task. The hand I had tangled in her hair pulled her away when I felt myself getting too close and bent her over the couch. I was rougher with her than I liked to be most of the time, but she screamed my name and begged for more anyways, letting loose a string of vulgarities as she described in graphic detail what she wanted me to do to her. I almost rolled my eyes but did as she so eloquently asked, and not long after she shrieked as she clenched around me. My climax, when it hit, was a paradox in that it was rather anticlimactic, and I sighed when I pulled out and tossed the condom into the trashcan of the small living room. Dawn teetered to the bathroom and I took the opportunity to pull on my boxers and pants.

"I wasn't done with you yet," she whined when she emerged, her lovely porcelain skin still flushed red with pleasure. I cast about for an excuse as to why I had to leave, for the first time feeling incredibly cheated for not having an excuse like women did to not have sex for a whole week.

I really was a bit of a dick to Dawn, but she wasn't a saint either. She brought out the worst in me but she filled a hole in my life, one without any other potential candidates.

Except now I knew that wasn't right, because I wanted Sookie, but here I was fucking someone else because I couldn't work out my frustration like a regular adult. Disgusted with myself and feeling quite a bit of unjustified guilt, I made up an excuse and left Dawn's, knowing that this time had been the last time.

888

I spent the next night at Outlaws', being irritated with everything and everybody. Tommy had started working and there were the usual small problems that arose whenever a new employee was hired, but where any other day I would have patiently helped him get adjusted, now I found myself passing the job along to someone else for fear of snapping at the poor kid. I was only grateful that Sam wasn't around because he would have realized that something was wrong with me, familiar as he was with my usual coping mechanisms. Or failing-to-cope mechanisms, because try as I might I couldn't stop thinking about Sookie and how easily I had pussied out of making a move. I should have kissed her, or asked her to go for a walk, or really anything other than pull that passive-aggressive bullshit, mentally begging her to make the first move like a low-self-esteem teenage girl before running off to lick my wounds by sticking my dick in the first available hole. I avoided Sam and going into work entirely the following day, choosing to let myself fall behind on paperwork if it meant avoiding my friend's penetrating gaze. It was worse though, because after weeks of busying myself with Sookie's renovations and work I suddenly had a day free of all obligations, which was a perfect opportunity for my mind to wander – inevitably – to Sookie. At a loss for things to do I went for a run, keeping it up until I felt like I was running the risk of my knees imploding and my heart failing entirely, not to mention severe dehydration in the absurd temperature and humidity. By the time I made it home my clothes were soaked through with sweat and my hair was plastered to my forehead so I headed straight to the shower. Out of sheer boredom I didn't bother dressing, and so I ended up lounging about naked, and eventually jerking off for lack of a better thing to do. That didn't help much, since the image I got off on was that of Sookie's lips wrapped around my cock. Regardless, I cleaned up and made myself the most elaborate dinner I could manage before crawling into bed despite not feeling drowsy. Two hours later I shifted onto my side, growing progressively more frustrated that I still couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't too warm and I wasn't too hungry or too stressed to relax, I was sure of it. Absently, I rubbed my temple and for the first time sensed the pressure that was no doubt the reason behind this bout of insomnia. It felt the way it did when I would swim to the bottom of the deep end of the pool, like my skull was being pressed, but much more subtle and I frowned as I tried to recall the last time I had felt this way, because the pressure was definitely familiar. The memory was right there, I just needed to place it, and when I finally managed it a grin spread across my face. I slipped out from under the covers and got dressed. The door creaked slightly as I opened it and I inhaled deeply in the cool night air, appreciating the light the moon was casting over my skin.

"Sookie," I called, glancing around the dimly lit deserted street for any signs of her.

"How did you know?" She asked as she emerged from the shadows in the far corner of my porch. I had not been expecting her to be so near and I jerked when I heard her voice.

"I just did." I shrugged. I wasn't too sure myself, in hindsight it seemed a little crazy. "What are you doing out this late?"

"Not really late for me. Vamp, remember?" Her lips quirked up in a little smile though something curious remained in her eyes.

"How could I forget? But why outside my house?"

It was her turn to shrug, and I held back the snort. She was so clearly holding something back, unwilling to share it just yet, and I let it slide for the time being. "Why did you come to Bon Temps?"

"That's quite forward, isn't it?"

"So is skulking around my house at two in the morning."

"Touche."

"Thank you. Now answer the question please."

"I got tired of New Orleans. Thought a small town would be nice to live in."

"Seriously? A small town where most people are afraid of you and the rest think you're an abomination? This is where you thought you'd settle down?" I loved Bon Temps but the citizens had the tendency to be shockingly small-minded. The four years I'd spent at Vanderbilt had done quite a lot in terms of opening my mind.

She shrugged but offered no more.

"So that pressure I felt, was that you Glamouring me or failing at it?" I asked, the picture of nonchalance, and saw shock flash across her features.

"You felt that."

"You were keeping me awake," I grinned. "I didn't know you could do it without making eye contact."

"I wasn't Glamouring you."

"Alright then." I cast about for something to say, scuffing my bare feet on the wood while Sookie who had no needs for such human actions stood stock still.

"I'll let you go back to bed. No more skulking, I promise." She turned to leave but I reached out for her wrist, pulling her back to me. Later I would realize that had she really wanted to leave I wouldn't have been able to grab her because she would have darted away at a vampiric speed, but at the time it didn't matter. Her icy eyes flicked down to where my hand was grasping hers but I refused to let go, choosing instead to take a step closer. Her nostrils flared at my scent and I breathed her in in return, detecting cool mint and something warmer, reminiscent of sunshine.

"Why are you here?" I whispered and she averted her gaze with a guilty air.

"I'm here to procure you for my boss."

Wow. I had not been expecting such honesty, despite hoping for it. I took a step back. "Your Maker."

"No," she shook her head and fixed me with one of those gazes that left me to interpret for myself what she was thinking.

"You have to obey other vampires? Ones that didn't Make you?"

"Do you listen to people who aren't your parents?" She retorted.

"I barely listen to my parents."

That earned me a smile. "Well, we have to listen to our Makers. It's in our blood."

"And why do you listen to your bosses?"

"Because they can make our undeath very unpleasant."

"So there's a hierarchy," I stated and she gave me another look, her blue eyes icy.

"It's in your best interest not to know anything about how our society works."

"So why are you telling me these things?"

"Because you're in danger."

I laughed. I couldn't help it; all I could hear in my head was Lafayette drawling, 'Gurl, you in_ dange-uh!'_, and her statement and its implications were so out of my world that I didn't even know how to react appropriately. Sookie looked less than pleased.

"I'm sorry," I held up a hand and held back the snort. "I'm the only child of two schoolteachers and I own a restaurant in East Jesus Nowhere, LA. You telling me, exclusively, that I'm in danger… It's not quite going down smoothly."

"Well, you can let me know when you're done laughing," she said, rather stiffly.

"I'm sorry," I repeated and attempted to get a hold of myself. "Okay, _why_ am I in danger? What does your boss want from me?"

"What do vampires want?" The corner of her mouth quirked upwards.

My blood. "Why?"

"Because you're different."

"I know, I'm a special and unique snowflake," I commented wryly. "What do you want from me?"

She hissed, in frustration I thought, and rose to pace in what was the first expression of vampire agitation I'd ever witnessed. Though, considering she was the first vamp I'd ever met this wasn't such a big deal. "There are a handful of bloodlines in the world, we call them the Divine Lines, that are… better."

"Better how?"

"They taste better. Divine blood nourishes us more thoroughly and keeps us sated for longer, plus it tastes-"

"Divine?" I guessed and she snorted.

"Yes. But the bloodlines, they're tricky. Not every person from the bloodline has Divine blood; it skips generations. It's a sort of preservation thing, we think, so that even when a Divine is discovered, their essence will live on in someone who is of no interest to vampires. This way the Line can't be rendered extinct."

"So there are Divine gene carriers?"

Sookie nodded. "Your mother, she's a… a carrier, I guess. And you are a card-carrying member of a Divine Line."

How's that for fucking special? "Hang on, how did you figure out my blood is… Divine?" I stumbled over the word. It sounded absurd, rolling around in my mouth.

"You gave blood, dumbass. Some vampire stole some bags from a blood bank and stumbled upon one particular donation that tasted-"

"Divine?" I grinned.

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Yeah. He reported it to my q-… to my boss, and we tracked you down."

That dragged me out of my lighter mood and into a somber one. "So what are you going to do to me?"

"If I brought you in, you'd be kept locked up in a fancy suite where you'd be forced to feed whatever vampire is important enough to be able to have you. You'd be Glamoured until you're as docile as a lamb, and you'd probably end up getting fucked by a whole lot of vampires that'll feed on you. You'd lose everything you have, everything you are. You'd never see Adele or Sam or Lafayette or your parents, you'd never get to fuck a pretty girl because you wanted to, and you sure as hell would never get to see Bon Temps again." She met my gaze defiantly and I sucked in some air, realizing that I was cold and shaking, a little bit.

"Are you going to?" I asked her quietly and she shook her head. "Why not? Won't you get in trouble?"

"Probably. I'm sure there are some loopholes." When she shrugged, I could see that there was more to it.

"Why, Sookie?"

"Because you don't deserve that life."

"You must not be a very good procurer if you're this tender-hearted."

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm an amazing procurer. You'd be my first failure."

"So you're going to fuck with your own reputation because I don't _deserve_ to be held captive? I don't know many people who _deserve_ captivity. What aren't you telling me?"

I waited for what felt like ages as Sookie contemplated whether or not to tell me the truth. At last she muttered, "In for a penny," and faced me. "I'm a telepath. I can read everyone's thoughts, humans and vampires alike, but not yours."

Wow. Jesus. I remembered that line from _Zoolander _when Matilda tells Derek and Hansel about being bulimic and they blurt out, "You can read minds?!" and had to push it away before I laughed, again. So she could read minds. I suppose if vampires were real, it wasn't such a leap to believe telepaths existed. "Because of my blood?" I asked.

"There haven't been more than a handful of telepaths in the past millennium, and Divines are hard to find. I don't know if the two have ever met, but yeah, my best guess is that it's because of your blood."

"Does this mean you can't Glamour me either?"

She nodded. "I tried, the first night."

I gave that some thought, relieved that I was different. "Reading vampires, isn't that dangerous?"

She quirked a brow at how easily I moved on. "Yes, it is. That's why only Pam—my maker— knows about it, and now you too. And before you ask, I don't know why I told you. I don't know why I'm explaining myself to you past the fact that you asked so I felt inclined to answer. It might be because you're charming and good-looking." She shrugged and I felt my face light up.

"You think I'm sexy."

"I didn't say that," she shook her head but I could see the beginnings of a smile.

"I think you're sexy too."

"One of the many side effects of being a vampire," she dismissed. "It's alluring."

"My attraction has nothing to do with your lifespan or your diet."

Sookie made a sound in disbelief and gave me a long look during which the tension between us began crackling again. Or maybe it was just my imagination, but I certainly hoped not. I had never felt this way around anyone before; she made me feel alive, ironically enough.

"I'd like to kiss you, Miss Stackhouse. May I?"

"How chivalrous of you to ask, Mr Northman."

"Is that a 'yes'?" I smiled and she nodded, slowly, so I leaned forward and just brushed my lips against her cool ones, testing the waters to see if there would be more. I had my answer when she kissed me back, increasing the pressure on my lips until I licked at her mouth and she yielded. A switch was flipped then as our hands came into the mix, Sookie slipping a hand into my hair and mine lifting her up to give my neck a break, pressing her small body into the wall. So strange, I thought absently, that someone so small could literally break me with one move, and yet here she was kissing all thought out of me. Her fangs extended with a _snick_ and I jerked back, feeling the sting of the two small punctures in my lip. Her pupils were dilated and it may have been the light playing tricks on me but her eyes looked to be glowing blue.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her cold hands gentle as they stroked the back of my neck. She was trying to soothe me, I realized, as if it had somehow slipped my mind that she was a vampire. After the initial surprise had worn off I'd been fine with it, if a bit intrigued as to the logistics and details that went along with having fangs.

"It happens. Right?"

"Yeah. You're bleeding." Nostrils flaring, she stared transfixed at my bottom lip and I leaned forward, trapping her top lip between mine and giving her access to my bloody lip. She licked it clean before sucking, searching for more blood.

"Would you say it's divine?" I joked breathlessly and her unseeing eyes met mine before she nodded and resumed our kissing. Her fangs remained out and I quickly discovered, as she moaned, that stroking them with my tongue was quite pleasurable for her. Eventually it became quite clear that we were giving my neighbours a bit of a show and that we would either have to calm down or continue our mutual exploration of each other's bodies inside, preferably in my bed and for several hours.

"Sookie," I murmured when her hand dropped to my cock, wanting to ask her a question before she interrupted me.

"Yes." I found myself pulling back to stare.

"I thought you said you can't read my mind."

"I don't need to be a telepath to know what you were going to ask," she smirked back before letting the smile fade away. "Take me inside. But don't forget to invite me in."

"Miss Stackhouse, please do come in," I whispered as I carried her inside.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So y'all, I have a confession to make; I got nothin'. I have no clue where this story is going, because my creativity has dried up and I'm stuck, somewhat, between not having anything to write and wanting desperately to write because I just realized the last chapter was put up three weeks ago. That's insane. I hate doing that, and you guys deserve better. So I'm asking you to bear with me, because I _hate_ leaving stories incomplete, and I will finish this if it's the last thing I do; it's just a matter of when. In the meantime, let me know what you think, even if you're pissed off like you have every right to be.

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><p><em>Chapter Three<em>

Humming in approval, Sookie latched her mouth on to my neck, raising goosebumps all over my body. I found myself thanking God that the last time Dawn was over had been nearly two weeks ago and that I'd changed my sheets since then as I put Sookie down, so they were clean even to the superior senses of a vampire, or so I hoped. Sookie hopped down and together we pulled the covers aside, her fingers quickly slipping under the hem of my shirt and pulling it off before I even had the chance to consider returning the favour. Easing her dress over her head, I was rewarded with the sight of her perfect breasts supported by a lacy push-up bra, and the most surreal, perfect body I'd ever seen.

"Are you going to be okay?" she teased at the sight of my jaw hanging open.

"Eventually," I nodded and disposed of the bra, tackling her back onto the mattress to become closely acquainted with her breasts.

"You have the rebound rate of a vampire," she murmured much, much later and I smiled, far too exhausted to form a coherent reply as I moved from atop her body. To my utter displeasure she moved away, sitting up with a good six inches between us.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." She gave me a puzzled look.

"Then what's this?" I gestured between us.

"We're no longer having sex."

"So? You don't cuddle?" Who didn't cuddle? Even Dawn would always lie beside me for a little while, and she was callous by nature.

"I'm a vampire."

"So?" I repeated, this time with a frown. "Come here. Lie down." I extended an arm towards her where I lay on my back, the sheets pulled up to my waist. She shot me another puzzled look before moving over, awkwardly resting her head on my shoulder with the rest of her body perfectly straight and rigid. I couldn't help chuckling as I moved her arm to lay it across my chest and hitch her leg across my hips, pulling the sheets over both of us.

"You're warm."

"Indeed," I smiled and scratched absently at the base of my neck where she had drunk from me.

"Shit, sorry, let me heal that." In the blink of an eye she bit into her finger and rubbed her blood over my damaged skin, and I squirmed as it itched. "There. Good as new," she murmured, pressing a kiss into my neck.

"Your blood heals?" My ignorance of vampiric abilities had no bounds, apparently.

"We don't advertise it. Drinking it is better for bigger injuries; broken bones, internal bleeding." She shrugged. "Some vampires like leaving marks, but I don't. It's tacky. And you have lovely skin."

I smiled at the odd compliment; odd for a man anyways. "You do too." I stroked the expanse of smooth skin on her back and she pressed herself to my side. "So what's the deal with cuddling?"

"Vampires don't cuddle when they sleep together. The humans that sleep with vampires these days aren't so much into cuddling as they are into whips and chains, and I don't sleep with fangbangers. Rarely with other vampires." She shrugged.

"Why not?"

"There's nothing arousing about hearing your partner's thoughts as you fuck. More often than not, their thoughts are things you'd rather not hear because they're thinking of how to maximize everything."

"Is that what you were thinking of?" I asked with a raised brow and she lifted the sheets to give me a very pointed ogle.

"Any more maximization there and you'd break me, Eric."

Grinning at the ego stroke, I gave her ass a little squeeze. "I wasn't really having any coherent thoughts while we were in the process," I told her, just so she knew. "Mostly gibberish and 'oh god, oh fuck, right there'."

"Good," she grinned back.

"What's the verdict on cuddling then?" I tightened my arm around her, wondering whether my skin had cooled or if she was warming up.

"I'm warming up to it," she winked and I groaned.

"Funny. Will you have to leave before dawn?"

The smile left her face as she nodded, and I rushed to bring it back. "Stay here until then?"

"What would we do?"

I shrugged. "Talk, watch TV. Talk _while_ watching TV. I could warm up some food for me and see if I have it in me for a couple more rounds." I winked and felt the relief when she cracked a smile. We ended up staying in bed and talking about mundane things until I fell asleep at some point and woke up with my cock in her mouth. My initial anxiety over her fangs causing damage faded away once the pleasure fully sank in and I let it wash over me, closing my eyes and enjoying the sensations. She crawled on top of my body when I came and kissed me, asking for permission to drink from me again, which I gave quite willingly and found myself moaning as she bit into my neck and healed it afterwards, the way she had done earlier. When she tucked her face against my neck I smiled, noting that she was being physically affectionate without my encouragement so I hugged her waist and told her I'd like to see her again.

"Then I guess you'll see me again," she chuckled and kissed me once again, thanking me for the blood.

"You're welcome," I smiled, equal parts drowsy and sated.

"Have a steak tomorrow, yes? And probably some iron supplements if you're feeling weak. I was quite greedy with you."

"You can be greedy all you want with me. Sleep tight."

"You too."

I watched through half-closed eyes as she got dressed and left, and the next thing I knew was the sound of my alarm clock. Sam and I alternated shifts on week days so I had the day off until about four, providing me with the perfect opportunity to do what I loved least: house work. Grumbling to myself with no satisfaction at all, I did laundry and vacuumed, coming to the sad realization that I needed to dust every so often, especially if I was going to have a vampire over more often. And on that note, I should probably get a six-pack of True Blood as well. I made myself a couple of sandwiches before getting in the shower, shaving and styling my hair back from my face. I realized, as I put on my favourite grey jeans and a fitted red plaid shirt that I was dressing up, hoping that Sookie would drop by. Smiling to myself, I rode my bike to work and parked it behind the restaurant before heading inside to do my usual walk through and relieve Sam. Everything continued going smoothly as all the waitresses arrived on time and Lafayette briefed them on the dinner specials before telling them to "go forth and waitress, my little angels". I laughed and brought him his nightly beer, giving him a kiss on the cheek and popping my foot just to be a goof, and he grabbed my ass just to be himself. My great mood, however, was ruined when Dawn strolled in wearing her tightest shorts and tiniest shirt, and proceeded to grab my ass, which was sadly less welcome than Lafayette's had been.

"Hey, baby," she grinned, revealing brilliant bleached teeth, stroking up my bicep. I side-stepped the caress.

"Dawn, we should talk."

"Do we have to?" She flirted, "We can do other things with our mouths." I caught her hand when she walked her fingers up my chest but had to put our talk on hold when a ketchup emergency arose and I had to take care of it. By the time I got back from locating the elusive ketchup in our storeroom Dawn was distracted and I managed to avoid her for the rest of the night by ignoring her, which always worked out pretty well because Dawn had daddy issues the size of Mount Rushmore; if you didn't pay her any attention, she refused to acknowledge you back as a coping mechanism. As the sun set I sent off a quick text to Sookie, wishing her a good night, and smiled when she sent one back.

_How committed are you to my having a good night?_

I grinned as I formed a reply.

_Pretty committed. What did you have in mind?_

_I wish I could convey my coy look properly._

We went on that way for a while, bantering flirtatiously until closing time, and I called her as I walked out into the parking lot and got on to my bike.

"Coming over?" So she meant it about seeing me again.

"I don't know, I'm pretty exhausted, I don't know if I'll meet your standards tonight." I really was, beyond exhausted. It was actually quite interesting to consider how evenly matched Sookie and Dawn were in their sexual appetite, even though it was always a bit of a chore to fuck Dawn. But sitting in the dimly lit back lot of _Outlaws'_ with a faint breeze cooling the warm night, I realized something. "Sookie, I don't want a fuck buddy. I don't know what you want, but I want more." She was quiet for a long time while I grew keenly aware of the fact that had she been human, I could have comforted myself with the sound of her breathing. As it was, she was absolutely soundless.

"This explains the cuddling," she said at last and I laughed, glancing around at the trees lining the edges of the lot.

"No, I just like cuddling."

"And me."

"And you," I smiled. "And long walks on the beach. And Hemingway."

"You like Hemingway? That's depressing."

"He was really talented," I defended.

"That he was. And strangely sexy."

"Tell me you didn't sleep with Hemingway."

"Ernie? Of course I did, I was in awe of him. His mind mid-sex was terrible though, he was chockfull of issues."

"You're unbelievable."

"It's why you like me."

On second thought, it actually was. She _was_ unbelievable; surreal and so beautiful. I'd never met anyone like her, even if she had been human. "It is," I agreed, sounding far more serious than I had intended.

"Come over then."

"You know I'm going to fall asleep, right?"

"We can just cuddle." I could hear the smile in her voice and it made me relent. I pulled up in her small driveway not fifteen minutes later, smiling when she opened the door to come out and greet me.

"Wow, it looks great!" I exclaimed. The place looked better than I could have ever imagined.

"I'm working on it!" She defended, mistaking my tone for sarcasm and following my gaze to the external shutters which no longer bore the peeling paint. "I got all new appliances too."

"No-no, I was being sincere!"

"Uh huh," she rolled her eyes and indicated for me to go in. The living room was actually furnished now, a beautiful Persian carpet adorning the floor beneath an antique chest serving as a coffee table, and a leather loveseat positioned against the wall facing the flatscreen mounted on the wall. She'd put a portrait up over the mantle and I paused in front of it with the strange feeling that I knew the subjects.

"Is this your family?"

"Indeed. My parents and my siblings and I."

"You all look really familiar," I frowned and then it hit me. How I had failed to draw this connection was beyond me, but there it was. "You're related to the Stackhouses."

"I'm Jason's great-great-great-grandmother," she nodded, a mix of amusement and discomfort on her face, and I looked back at the portrait with fresh eyes. Sookie's brother bore an uncanny resemblance to Jason, around the eyes especially. That was surreal.

"I can't believe I didn't even think to ask." Stackhouse was not a common name, but I'd stupidly assumed that she couldn't possibly be related to anybody because she was dead. "Sookie, that's insane! I slept with my friend's great-great-great-grandmother!" I laughed and she hip-checked me playfully.

"Are you disgusted?" Sookie quirked a brow dangerously.

"No. Why, do you feel bad that you're sleeping with someone the same age as your great-great-great-grandson?"

"Oof, now that you put it that way. Maybe you should leave then," she winked and I scooped her up in my arms to kiss her. Her lips responded enthusiastically and we kissed until her lips felt warm against mine, but I honestly was exhausted so I set her down.

"Hold on, you just got up but you're going to cuddle with me until I fall asleep? I can go home if you've changed your mind, you know."

"I like you too," she told me out of the blue. "I wasn't supposed to have actual feelings for you, but then again I wasn't supposed to tell you I'm sent here to procure you either, so there's that. In for a penny, in for a pound, huh?"

"I'm not complaining." I tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "So what does this mean?"

"It means that you are mine."

"And vice versa."

She blinked. "That won't mean anything to any other vampire. You being mine means that nobody else can lay finger nor fang on you, but in my world, you have no real claim on me."

"Does it mean anything to you?"

"Of course," a smile played at the corner of her mouth.

888

I reached out, smacking the snooze button and feeling irrationally angry when the ringing didn't stop. Through my drowsy haze I realized that it was actually the Hawaii Five-O theme, therefore obviously _not_ the clock.

"Motherfucker, someone had better be dying," I groaned into the phone, my voice muffled by a pillow.

"Well, it's 2 PM and you're not at work so I thought you might be."

"Shit, seriously?" I sat up fast enough to give myself vertigo. "Sorry, Sam. I'll be right there."

"It's alright," he drawled, sounding more amused than anything. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah yeah, just had a late night. I'm going to jump in the shower and head over, alright?" I hung up and stumbled into the shower, running some gel through my hair and pulling on some dark low-slung jeans and a fitted t-shirt before getting onto my bike. I was fucking starving and a bit sluggish, from sleeping in so late or anemia, I wasn't sure. After the night I'd spent at Sookie's we started spending more time together, and last night we'd gone on an impromptu walk that had resulted in us fucking against a tree.

The upside to the situation was that I was literally five minutes away from work, and the best chicken-fried steak in town so I stuck my head through the kitchen window to ask Lafayette for lunch before heading over to the office.

"Hi Sammy," I grinned.

"Hi Sleepy," he laughed. "Rough night?"

"Nah." I shook my head, less than willing to ruin his good mood by telling him exactly why I was so late today. "Just late."

"Well, Dawn got to work on time. Did you dump her bony ass?"

She did have a bony ass. "Um, not exactly. Not yet. Things kind of just happened."

"With who?"

"With _whom_," I corrected and burst out laughing when he threw a pen at me. I sunk down onto the couch just in time for Lafayette to come on with my food. "Laffy, you beautiful, fabulous, sexy motherfucker. You are going to make some man very happy some day," I grinned as he handed me my plate and set down a Heineken in front of me.

"And until then, I've got you two dirty skanks to feed. Even though my cousin is willing to take care of this one for me," he added, gesturing to Sam who of course turned bright red. "You two go out yet?"

"I had to reschedule," Sam shook his head. "Tommy got the stomach flu and I had to stay home and take care of him."

"Pussy," Lafayette and I chorused, and he gave us both the finger.

"Can we focus on who Eric slept with last night?" Sam tried to steer the conversation and Lafayette's head snapped up.

"Not Dawn, she got to work on time for once," he said.

"You two need to pay attention to your own lives." I pointed at them with my steak knife and cut out a huge bite of meat. Sweet, sweet meat.

"Welcome to my life," Sam muttered as Lafayette started chanting, "Spill, spill, spill."

"Yeah, joke around now, you won't be laughing once I tell you."

"Did you sleep with Maxine Fortenberry?" Sam deadpanned while our other friend gagged.

"Think older." Much older. By about a hundred and fifty years. The guys got matching confused looks on their faces. Lafayette realized it first, his dark complexion lightening to the point where he could probably get away with attending a KKK rally.

"Are you serious?"

"What, who?" Sam looked back and forth between us until he too realized it. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Called it," I mumbled as I took another bite of steak.

"What are you, a fangbanger now?" Sam asked and Lafayette reached over to turn my head, inspecting my neck for the telltale fangbanger bite marks. I was suddenly even more grateful that Sookie found them tacky.

"Nah, Eric's got a crush."

"So what if I do? Have you _seen_ her?"

"Uh-uh, if you wanted looks, you would have stuck with Dawn. You dig Sookie because of her personality, and not the kind in her bra." Though those were pretty fantastic as well. I shrugged.

"So what if I do?" I repeated. "She's funny, she's sweet. She's smart. She likes me." I added with a smile.

"Of course she likes you, you're her walking buffet," Sam rolled his eyes.

"You done?" I snarled and he looked at me with shock. "There are much easier targets out there for dinner if that's what she wanted and we both know it. At least give her the benefit of the doubt. Give _me_ the benefit of the doubt."

"Darlin', she's got you whupped!" Laf grinned and stood up, giving me a friendly slap to the shoulder. "Just be careful, you hear?" I nodded, thanking him for the food and ignoring Sam once the two of us were left alone.

"Eric, vampires are dangerous," he began in a calmer voice.

"I don't believe that," I responded. "People can be just as dangerous."

"You know they can Glamour you, right? Make you forget shit, get you to do things you wouldn't do otherwise." His voice was low, his blue eyes earnest and filled with concern for me.

"She can't Glamour me, Sam. She tried it and she couldn't."

"How do you know that? She could have messed with your mind so you would forget it."

"I have no reason to distrust her, Sam! She hasn't done a single thing to make me be wary of her, nothing but be honest with me. Stop thinking that she's some huge villain in my life, because she's not. If she were any other person, if I'd spent the night with a _human_ and came in looking as happy as I know I look, you would have high-fived me for getting over Dawn."

"But she's not just any other person."

"No, she's not. Besides, it's not like we're shacking up or getting married or anything. We're just… seeing each other." I shrugged, feeling a fair bit of guilt over downplaying my relationship, and saw Sam looking unconvinced. "Lighten up, Sammy. I appreciate your concern but I'm a big boy. Don't you think I'm going to run the other way if things start getting dangerous?"

888

Two weeks later, I tugged at the wrist restraints and groaned when neither one gave. I'd sorely underestimated Sookie's character and what she was capable of, clearly, since I was tied up with no chances of escape.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Holy crap, it's been a while! It's been years (literally _years_) since I last updated this story, but I can say with absolute certainty that it's back to regular updates. I swear. If you're still out there reading this, please let me know. I love hearing from everybody! You guys are the best.

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><p><em>Chapter Four<em>

Tugging at the wrist restraints, I groaned when neither one gave. Nor did the ones tied around my ankles. Not in a million years could I have imagined this night panning out this way, not with the way it started out. I'd sorely underestimated Sookie's character and what she was capable of, clearly, since I was tied up with no chances of escape.

"Sookie?" I called out. "Stackhouse!"

Her silhouette darkened the doorway to the bathroom the second before she herself appeared, in lacy black panties and a matching corset, her legs looking miles long in the peep-toe fuck-me heels she was wearing. "You rang?" she asked, deadpan, and my cock stirred in interest.

"Jesus." It had been my idea, to ask her if she'd ever worn a corset and one thing had led to another, which is how I ended up stark naked and hard, tied to Sookie's bedposts. The ankle-binding had been a bit of a stretch for me though; having your hands tied is one things, having your legs tied down was a whole another lesson in vulnerability. Sookie was probably the only person I would be willing to try it with, which was quite ironic really.

"Now, _he_ may not respond to your call as well as I did," Sookie smirked as she moved to straddle one leg, grinding herself down on my thigh and moaning lightly. It was her first time doing this as well, since no vampire would be willing to get tied up and it would be far too tame for any fangbangers, not to mention her natural aversion to human partners, given her telepathy. Now, with her tits spilling out of the corset and her heat on my leg, it was hard to imagine anyone having any coherent thoughts, let alone unsavory ones.

"Fuck," I hissed when she dragged a finger down the inside of my thigh before letting it slip under my balls. Despite the air-conditioning, I felt sweat start beading on my forehead as she massaged my taint and bent down to tongue my balls. "Sookie." Her tongue moved down further and I jerked, surprised by how good her cool tongue felt on my skin. She avoided my cock until I was moaning and squirming, desperate to be buried inside her warmth, and just when I thought she was going to grant me my wish, Sookie moved down to the foot of the bed and began kissing her way up from my ankles, up over my hips to my abs and chest where she paused, nibbling on my nipples. Her fangs scraped my chest and I groaned, earning myself a chuckle as she moved her mouth to my neck.

"You like being bitten, don't you?" She whispered and I made another sound, because I actually did. It had taken me a while to accept it, accept that it didn't make me a fangbanger if I liked feeding my girlfriend, because that's what she was. We were officially dating, no more fuckbuddies for me or blood donours for Sookie, only each other. We'd both been very firm on that because neither one of us dealt well with sharing and I'd discovered after doing some research that some vamps in vampire-human relationships still fed on willing donours. But my blood—my tasty, nourishing, Divine blood—would have to suffice, I'd insisted and Sookie had promised me that it would more than just suffice. "You're like drinking DP in a world of five-dollar champagne," she'd smiled, shocking me a little bit with her very human, rather modern reference.

And now, for the first time in my life I was content with just one person, or I would be if she would just stop teasing me and focus her attention where I wanted it.  
>Okay, so maybe it was a good thing she couldn't hear my thoughts.<p>

"Yeah," I groaned in response to her question. Her hand was ghosting over my cock, and I desperately wanted more. "Bite me."

"Where do you want me to bite you, Eric?" She slipped off the panties and slung a leg over my hips, grinding down on my erection. I groaned, flexing my hips up into where she was wet and she sat back on my thighs, reaching down to touch herself.

That was it. The sight of her rubbing her clit, sitting mostly naked so close to my cock… I snapped. "Fuck me, Sookie," I ground out and she quirked a brow, her hand stopping its motions.

"Like this?" she asked, moving up my body and wrapping a hand around my cock, rubbing at the sweet spot. Eyes trained on mine, Sookie guided me to her entrance and sunk down, moaning as she took me all the way in. She was warm, I'd discovered the first time we fucked, and afterwards I'd asked her why that was, though she didn't know. Now, she established a fast tempo, riding my cock until we were both crying out and I came hard enough to see stars.

"Baby, untie me," I mumbled, my eyes closed as my heartbeat thundered in my ears. She leaned over me, her cleavage in my face as she released my hands and moved back to do the same to my ankles. I rubbed my wrists, stretching out my fingers and wiggling my toes to get the blood flow back before reaching behind Sookie to unlace the corset. The material had left lines on her otherwise unmarred skin and I rubbed them away.

"Baby, huh?" She asked with a smirk. "I'm, what, a century and a half your senior?"

"One hundred and nineteen years, actually," I grinned back and stroked a thumb over her nipple. "It's just a pet name. I like 'Hon', too."

"They're both very modern. How did it feel being tied up?"

"Different. And incredibly hot. I liked the corset."

"I could tell. I do recognize how much trust it took, you know," she added, her hand resting on my abdomen. She was sitting up beside me with her knees brought up, which gave me a pretty great view where I lay so I reached out, stroking her folds with a thumb to elicit a moan.

"Well I've never trusted anyone that much," I said, pleased at the moisture gathering and using it to tease her clit. She moaned again, softly.

"Maybe I'll show the same amount of trust later," she murmured as I sat up and she leaned back, giving me better access.

"I'd like that," I whispered and ducked down to taste her.

888

A few nights later I stepped out of the office and found Sookie sitting at the bar making conversation with Hoyt Fortenberry, whose presence in the absence of Jason was a rarity. I fought back my irrational jealousy—that I had to work while Hoyt got to spend time with her—and gave her a genuine smile, even though Dawn was over by the jukebox chatting up Andy Bellefleur and would soon no doubt come over to maul me.

Fuck.

"Well, hello," I smiled at Sookie, feeling lighter when she leaned over the bar to give me a kiss, disregarding Hoyt's uncomfortable squirm. He was a good guy, one of the few guys I genuinely enjoyed spending time with, because despite his gossipy mother he was quiet and nonjudgmental. Even now, I was sure his discomfort was more due to his lack of experience with public displays of affection than his prejudice against vampires. I gave him a nod of acknowledgment that he returned.

"Good evening, Mr Northman," Sookie pressed her lips together, suppressing her little smile that I lived for.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" I asked, somehow feeling better now that she was around.

"Ah, you know, I've been full all night," she smiled, rubbing her stomach.

"Imagine that. You must be feeling absolutely _divine_." I grinned my Cheshire Cat grin and Sookie's gaze turned heated. Suddenly I had a flash of bending her over the back of my couch and fucking her 'til I hurt myself.

"How 'bout you, Hoyt?" I nodded towards the near-empty Bud in his hand.

"I'm good, man, thanks." He pushed the bottle and a ten towards me. "Y'all have a good night."

Sookie turned back to me once he was gone. "He was having some pretty interesting thoughts." Her eyes twinkled.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"He was trying to figure out if we're dating."

"Oh?" I raised my brow. "What do you think?"

"What do _you _think?"

"I think that's a very interesting question to ponder."

She burst out laughing, the sound reverberating deep in my chest. "And what would you say his answer is?"

"A very strong 'yes'."

Her little grin widened. "Good, then,"

The smile faded, I imagined, a while later as I delivered some drinks and Dawn groped my junk as she walked by. I almost dropped the tray full of drinks I was holding, and turned around to see Sookie giving me the kind of look I imagine humans mostly got from vampires as they were being gutted.

"Explain yourself," she hissed through gritted teeth once I was back behind the safety of the bar, and I realized her fangs were out.

She was furious. Beyond furious.

"We used to fuck," I sighed, nodding at the drink orders Holly gave me before she walked away.

"Indeed," she tapped her temple. "But she's unaware about the past tense attached to that."

"Well, yes but not for long."

"So you're going to talk to her."

"Yeah, in a bit."

"As in, right now, Eric?"

"I was going to talk to her before but there was a condiment emergency." Alright, so two weeks ago. I couldn't believe Dawn hadn't gotten the message when I'd started ignoring her calls. Now, popping open a bottle of Negra Modelo, I set it on the bar next to the other two drinks in anticipation of Holly's return and wiped the bit of beer on my hand with my rag.

"Eric, vampires do _not_ share well with others."

"Well, I'm not asking you to share, am I?" I smiled my most charming smile, leaning forward to murmur the words to her. "Look, the last time we got together was weeks ago and we haven't even talked since then. Not that we were anything other than stress release for each other, okay Sookie?" I gave her a pouty face and she gave me a cold one back.

"She's just a hole and a heartbeat, and you still didn't manage to break up with her when you and I started dating?"

"I was mostly hoping ignoring her would do the job." I admitted, keenly aware that I sounded like a complete dick. Sookie looked unconvinced. "Alright, fine." I tossed the rag down and stalked away to where Dawn was sitting on the pool table, this time being chatted up by Rene. Her expression turned seductive when she saw me coming.

"Hey, sexy."

"Dawn, you and I are done, alright? No more booty calls, no more inappropriate touching." Dawn licked her lips dangerously and cut her huge green eyes at Sookie, over my shoulder.

"So it is true, what they're saying."

I shrugged. "I don't really care what they're saying. You should find somebody else though." With that I turned on my heel and got back to work,

"Eric," Sookie called out and I looked up to give her a look of innocent curiosity.

"Yes?"

"Come over tonight."

I couldn't even help the grin on my face. "Yes, ma'am."

888

"Where has Jason been lately?" I asked Sam as I mixed a gin and tonic and slid it across the bar to a waitress.

"I don't know, but trust me, I wish I did," he seethed back.

"Arlene been hanging on your dick?"

"She would be all over yours too if she wasn't put off by you giving it to Vampire Sookie."

"Something that is paying off for me in spades. Spades, I tell you. But seriously, where in the world is Jason Stackhouse?"

"In Jackson? For some contractor job? I wasn't really listening."

"Great," I laughed and looked around the bar, at the lonely slutty masses looking oh so morose in Jase's absence. "Have you noticed how weird he's been lately?"

"I kind of just thought he got dumped or something."

"Well, I would think so, but nobody dumps Jason. So unless he's dealing with a severe bout of growing up, something's going on."

"You think he's in love?" Sam smirked.

"Or something. I mean, he's barely around, he's dismissing his…" I waved a dismissive hand in Arlene's general direction, "fan club."

"Then maybe he's growing up."

"Man, I don't know if I'm ready for that." I pretended to be choked up and Sam snapped a bar rag at me. "Urgh, that was disgusting. When was the last time we washed those things?"

"I thought you washed them." Sam gave me a blank look.

"Yeah this whole co-owning a business thing isn't working for me."

"About time." I smacked him and we got into a minor scuffle that worked itself out when Tommy showed up with something about a crisis in the kitchen. By the time I had that figured out and I'd made sure to tell all the waitresses about the change in dinner specials, Sam was knee-deep in drink orders and it took us a while to work through that.

"Can you grab a Jack Daniel's from the-"

"Yeah." I sighed and walked off to the storeroom. We were running a bit low on vodka too so I grabbed a two-six of that as well before heading back out. I was already fucking exhausted, though on the bright side I'd felt Sookie wake up, a little while ago. I was a little irritated with how long the days were, at a point when I'd become a huge fan of nighttime, but at least I'd be seeing her after work. In—I sighed—six hours. As if he could read my mind, Sam asked me how things were with my girlfriend. I looked over at him, to gauge the manner in which he was asking. Calling Sookie my girlfriend was a bit hilarious to me; I'd taken to calling her my lady love, just to irritate her, and she called me her gentleman caller. "She's good. She's going to be in Shreveport tonight for some work stuff." Meaning that she was checking in with her Maker. The vampire Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana, Pamela Ravenscroft. What that entailed, I had no idea. "How's Tara?"

"She's good." Sam smirked and I elbowed him.

"You guys good?"

"Yeah. She told me I wasn't allowed to see anyone else. It wasn't a conversation, it was her telling me we were exclusive."

I laughed. "And you loved it."

"She's feisty." He shrugged. "It's not like I was planning on seeing other people anyways. It was just interesting that she wasn't at all insecure about the topic." He grabbed a Bud and expertly opened it before placing it on Amy's tray next to the Long Island iced tea and half a dozen vodka shots. I followed Amy with my eyes over to the table where a bunch of barely-legals were celebrating a birthday.

"Did she ID all of them?"

Sam followed my gaze. "Yeah. They're good."

"They just look so young."

"Not that much younger than us."

"But I feel so old," I laughed.

"Yeah, I don't think that feeling's gonna go away. You gonna come in for lunch tomorrow?"

Saturdays were always a bit hectic, so we both tried to put in the hours, at least during the lunch and dinner rushes. "Probably not, I was thinking of going to visit my parents. I've been neglecting them. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

My friend eyed me with a quirked brow. I rarely ever saw my parents—we weren't a close family. But I felt bad not dropping in every now and then. "I'll be fine as long you promise to be around for the after-Church group on Sunday."

"I wouldn't subject you to that." The after-Church group were kind of terrifying. As well-liked as Sam and I were, thanks in part to our business, our lifestyle choices weren't always condoned by the older, more conservative townspeople. Actually, come to think of it, Sam was probably the favourite right now, considering our cook was a very flamboyant gay man and I was openly dating a vampire. I shot him a look. "You just want me to be here to take the attention off of you."

"Nothing is going to take the attention off of me being a Democrat. Ever."

"You views on government involvement in the economy are not nearly as bad as me bedding the undead, and Lafayette bedding men."

Sam gave me a scandalized gasp and I smacked him in the back of the head, despite feeling incredibly grateful that my best friend was become more supportive of my relationship. It meant a lot. I'd hoped his very liberal sensibilities would work in my favour eventually.

By the time the restaurant was closed, I was barely standing upright. It took everything I had to get on my bike and ride it to Sookie's, without driving into a tree.

"Hi there," I smiled when she opened the door and pressed a firm kiss into her cool lips.

"You're exhausted." She followed me to where I unceremoniously crashed on her couch.

"Yeah, long day." I opened one eye to regard her. "My blood?" She'd mentioned being able to feel me, how I felt and how I was doing, thanks to the massive amount of my blood she'd been drinking.

"Yeah." She perched on the couch, and I pulled her on top of me. "It's draining, no pun intended."

"Hah. That makes sense though. Sorry, is it bothering you?"

"No." She rested her head over my chest. "It's just a constant presence. I'm still getting used to it."

"Hmmm." I closed my eyes and sunk my fingers into her hair, absently massaging her scalp. It had taken her a while to get comfortable with affectionate touches, but she was pretty much over it. I didn't take it personally when she would occasionally jerk away before realizing that I wasn't trying to take her down. She'd told me that the only physical contact vampires condoned was of the purely utilitarian fashion, that there was no such thing as casual hand-holding, but she was definitely warming up to it. Right now as she listened to my heart beat, she hummed with contentment. "How was Pam?" She stiffened, instantly.

"She wants to see you." Sookie sighed.

"Why?"

"Because she could smell you all over me and she could tell it's something that's been going on for a while. She wants to know who I've been fucking, since I have never stuck around for anyone."

"Because of the telepathy." Sookie nodded into my chest and moved to sit up.

"Could this end badly for me?" I asked carefully. I wanted to know if this was like meeting her mother, or meeting her murderous boss.

"No. I don't think she would do anything to you, honestly."

"Does she know that I'm… well, your job?"

"No. She knows Sophie-Ann hired me to procure, but she doesn't know what. She doesn't care, but I would tell her if it was anything that could concern her."

"And what would she do if she found out you're fucking your assignment?"

"Probably not care as much as she would if she found out I was in love with my assignment."

I sighed and sat up. All I'd wanted for tonight was some dinner, a nap, and some excellent sex. "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know," she admitted softly, and then something in her eyes hardened with resolve. "But I'm not going to give you up. I won't let her take you."

I regarded her carefully for a moment and nodded. I trusted her.

888

The next day I woke up in pitch dark. Groaning, I reached blindly out and managed to turn on the bedside lamp before rolling over to find Sookie lying on her stomach, her face half-buried in the pillow. I chuckled and pushed her hair back from her face. I appreciated that she hadn't gone to her daytime sleep on top of me. That was kind of a huge hassle once I woke up and had to push her body off, though I was beginning to think she did it just to bug me. I kissed her forehead and got out, wincing at my sore muscles as I let myself out of the secure basement and into the sun-lit main floor. I got the coffee maker going and hopped into the master suite shower, reluctantly scrubbing off Sookie's scent. The closet was sparsely filled with the handful of clothes I kept and I quickly threw some on before downing a cup of coffee and heading out. It was a little past eleven by the time I pulled up to the old house, my childhood home, which stood literally across the street from Bon Temps school's football field. My mother opened the door dressed in her schoolteacher attire.

"Eric." She looked shocked. She always did, every time I came home after college, like she couldn't quite believe I would come back after all my efforts to get the fuck out of here. It probably made sense that she thought I hated them, considering the eighteen years of emotional bankruptcy I'd endured in this house. But I'd never hated them. I'd been hurt and lonely, but I'd been lucky enough to have other people to fill those roles for me, to some extent. Adele Stackhouse and Sam's now-deceased father had probably kept me from being as emotionally damaged as I should have been. But I'd long since accepted that parents, especially my parents, weren't necessarily perfect. And I liked to think that I'd turned out okay, despite their shortcomings.

"Hi Mom."

"Hi sweetie. Come on in."

"How are you?" I followed her to the kitchen and took a seat at the table while she made me a cup of coffee, fixing it the way I liked. I took it, despite having just had one cup, and small-talked with her until we were all out of topics. I was just about to ask where Dad was when he walked in, with a couple of grocery bags, and narrowed his eyes ever so slightly when he caught sight of me.

"Eric." _Yup, that's what you named me._ I felt myself tense up.

"Hi Dad."

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Yeah, he didn't like me so much—thought I was ungrateful, and flaky, and a bad son for running away in the most socially acceptable way I could manage. Graduating high school early, and not skipping any grades, was not an easy feat for someone on the football team, but I'd done it. I'd felt awful about leaving Sam behind but he'd understood. I was going insane with every week that passed, living in this house.

"Just visiting." I smiled. "How's it going?"

"Good. I hear you've been letting that bloodsucker have you for dinner." He set the bags on the table and began putting them away. My Mom jumped to her feet to help, and I leaned back in my seat when he joined me. I should have known he would bring this up.

"She has a name, Dad."

"Doesn't change her nature."

"But it does make you sound like less of a jerk when you're talking about her."

"She's a bloodsucker, Eric. I can't believe you're letting her use you like that."

"Like _what_?"

"Like a buffet for the devil."

"Ah." I nodded. Of course. I looked down at my lap and absently twisted my ring around my index. Sam was in a perpetual state of disbelief, over my willingness to keep an open mind where my father was concerned. It helped to think of how he'd grown up in the home of alcoholic, his religion all that had kept him from giving up. To me it made sense why he couldn't let it go, even if Sam thought his shitty childhood was a poor excuse for making mine the same way. It was easy to let it go though, especially when I kept in mind the fact that his lousy dad had made him a lousy person, while I'd managed to turn out okay. He could be a fuck about my life if it made him feel better, but I had the advantage of being happy, when he wasn't.

I downed the last of my coffee and rose to my feet. "I'm not her buffet, Dad."

"Your denial isn't going to help-"

"Oh no, she's feeding on me, don't get me wrong. But that's not it. We love each other." I took a moment to admire the looks on their faces. "Thanks for the coffee, Mom. I'll make sure to call next time."

I went straight to _Outlaws'_ to help out until the lunch rush had died out before heading out to run some errands. Sam eyed me curiously when I returned for dinner, wondering how my visit had gone, and I just shrugged. It usually went the same way, really, regardless of whether or not I was dating a vampire. I just didn't feel right, shoving them out of my life.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Let me know what y'all think!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Five<em>

I'd never seen Sookie be nervous. I'd seen her horny and angry and playful, occasionally sad when she would recall her human life. I'd seen her express jealousy and happiness and love, but I'd never seen her be nervous, before that night.

"She's not going to like that I'm more than just fucking you. She's going to want to know what's so special about you, and saying that I can't read your mind would just open a new can of worms." I couldn't help wondering why it was that she couldn't tell Pam she loved me, but I didn't say anything. She'd been on edge all week. It was another half hour before we pulled up to the infamous Fangtasia, with its long lineup wrapping around the building and its modest, understated visage and its one and only sign. A lit-up crimson "Fangtasia" written in a classy cursive. It looked more like a Members Only club, and I had a fleeting vision of us sitting in wing-backed chairs and sipping on expensive scotch. Sookie directed me to the back of the building and told me to park in one of the employee parking spots, rolling her eyes at my half-hearted protest.

"What's the point of being the Child of the owner if I can't break some rules? Come on." She directed me to the employee door and held it open for me and I gave her a mock curtsy before heading inside, into the well-lit hallway painted in a deep red and lined with heavy mahogany doors. Yeah, the Members Only image wasn't going away anytime soon. Sookie nodded towards a door and I paused outside as she knocked, ignoring the loud moans coming from inside.

"What did I say about disturbing me, Felicia?" came the irritated female voice from inside.

"Only do it when you're mid-fuck?" Sookie called back and winked at me.

"You're just going to have to wait until I'm done." We exchanged looks as the moaning resumed and with a shrug, Sookie dragged me into another room further down the hall.

"Where are we-" I began to ask but was promptly cut off as her mouth pressed against mine. "What are you doing?" I whispered as her kisses trailed to my neck. It was fucking dark in here, though based on the faint smell of alcohol, I figured we were in a storeroom.

"Fucking you." Oh. _Oh._

"While we wait for your Maker to finish fucking?"

"Uh huh." I considered protesting but oh, who was I kidding, I was hard already. In the pitch dark I pushed up her dress and groaned when I didn't find any underwear. This was going to be interesting, considering I couldn't see. Sookie could though, and she giggled as I freed my dick from my jeans before hoisting her up and pushing into her. The sound she made was less than quiet and I grinned into her bare shoulder, biting at the skin as I established a quick rhythm. I felt her fangs grazing my neck and grunted, tilting my head away to give my consent and she wasted no time in sinking them into my flesh. I groaned at the initial flare of pain and the subsequent rush of pleasure, and reached down to rub circles around her clit until she came with a loud moan, clenching around my cock until I followed suit. I let her down but pressed her into the wall with my hips, knowing that her legs were probably a bit shaky.

"You hear her? Is she done?"

"Yeah." Our foreheads still pressed together, I straightened her skirt and tucked my dick back into my pants, smiling at her newfound tendency to breathe right along with me after sex. I kissed her cheek and brought my mouth to her ear to whisper that I loved her before pulling her back out to the hallway and almost walking right into the tiny woman standing outside. Vampire. Shit; Pam.

"Well, don't you smell delicious," she smirked. She was absolutely gorgeous in a gamine way, with platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Even dressed in her unassuming white skinny jeans and pale pink t-shirt she wasn't someone I would ever fathom messing with, despite her being about a foot shorter than me, in her killer stilettos.

"We found something to do while we waited," Sookie shrugged.

"And what a thing to do he is." Pam snorted and spun on a dangerously high heel, striding back towards her office. I looked over at Sookie and finger-combed a piece of her hair for her, smiling when she reached to wipe a bit of blood off my neck.

"Are you going to grace me with your presence before he dies?" Pam yelled from her office and Sookie grinned, taking my hand and leading the way inside. The office was spacious, and I held back a chortle at the wingback armchairs gathered around the little table in the corner. Pam's desk was in some sort of dark wood and books filled the shelves that ran along the walls to either side. It was a really fancy place, I had to give her that, and it exuded the sort of power most people associated with vampires. I studied the huge painting of an English countryside behind the desk as Pam and Sookie exchanged pleasantries, or rather bickered like sisters, though I zoned back in when I realized their attentions were focused on me.

"What did I miss?"

Pam eyed me like she was gauging her prey's weakness, and with a sudden move brought herself to stand beside me, her nose pressed into my neck as she inhaled. I tensed in fear of a bite but she backed away after a moment.

"Huh," she commented.

"Did I miss a spot shaving?" I asked wryly.

"Funny too." Pam perched on the edge of her desk.

_Too? _"What's the other adjective you used for me?"

"Not so much an adjective. I called you a Ken doll." She looked like she was humouring me, with the infinite patience one would use for a toddler.

"I've been called worse." I shrugged.

"Do you also jump in front of busses and steal bear cubs from their mothers?"

"Not being terrified of you makes me lacking in survival skills?"

"You're sassy."

"I hear you like that."

"I like it in the way a lion likes it when the antelope struggles."

"So I should start running?"

Pam burst out laughing, to my utter surprise, and Sookie who had been watching our exchange spoke at last. "Are you guys done or should I step out for a minute?"

"Well, I finally understand why you've kept him around," Pam smirked at Sookie.

"I already know he's Divine," Sookie waved a dismissive hand. I liked that she did that, make gestures that vampires didn't because they deemed them unnecessary. I liked that she was more human than Pam.

"Is that why Sophie-Ann wants him?" Pam asked, effectively changing the tone of the conversation. Sookie stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before averting her gaze, deferentially.

"Of course you knew."

"At least you both lack survival skills."

"Pam, I-"

"Can't hear him?" Pam raised a delicate brow, delivering the second shocking blow. Sookie didn't even bother asking how she knew this time, and Pam didn't bother explaining.

"Walk me through how you think this is going to pan out, Susannah."

"I don't know."

"You think Sophie-Ann is going to take kindly to you fucking her belonging?"

I bristled. "I'm not her bel-"

"Don't speak," Pam suggested, though her eyes left no doubt as to whether or not it was an option.

"Probably not," Sookie conceded.

"Now, I may be biased, but I'm pretty sure even if his dick were magical, you wouldn't risk Sophie-Ann's wrath. And by wrath, I mean bitch-fit."

"Bitch-fit?" The question slipped out and I attempted to keep from shrinking in the face of Pam's icy gaze. Sookie had told me that her boss was in fact the vampire Queen of Louisiana, the monarch of vampire society, but she hadn't mentioned that Sophie-Ann had little support among vampires.

"Off with their heads," Sookie murmured. I couldn't help smiling at her reference.

"Is your dick magical?" Pam asked.

"Uh, depends on who you ask."

"I'm losing interest in your wit," she warned, her tone deceptively mild, before returning her attention to Sookie. "Why are you fucking Sophie-Ann's toy?"

"You said it yourself."

"What about me gives you the impression that I'm in the mood for your coyness, Susannah?"

"Nothing, Pam," my lover mumbled, in a manner completely at odds with her normal demeanor.

"Why are you being this reckless?" Pam asked and I decided I was done with this business of being discussed like a new puppy. There was a perfectly good fucking reason why Sookie was still with me, and fuck Pam if she didn't like it.

"I love her." I made sure to say it firmly. I wasn't fucking ashamed of this.

"Congrats," Pam intoned.

"I love him, Pam." Sookie set her jaw and added, "That's why I haven't turned him in. I'm in love with him."

"So his dick _is_ magical." Pam sank down in the office chair and propped her expensive shoes up on her desk.

"What, are you guys not allowed to fall in love?" I asked, fully aware that Pam's patience was wearing thin. I had no doubt that she could tear me apart before my brain even registered her movement, but I refused to stand meekly in the corner as Pam mocked and demeaned our relationship. Frankly, I was a bit pissed at Sookie for letting her do this. "You're going to avoid emotional attachment for the rest of eternity?"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-six."

"You've lived one seventeenth of my lifetime. You want to know how I managed to be alive for this long?"

"By being very, very good at avoiding sunlight?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Pam's mouth. "By not trusting humans."

"Maybe it's a matter of finding the right human to trust."

"And then hope that I picked right?" She said 'hope' like I would say 'pigeon shit'.

"Or you can be alone for all eternity."

"I pick _alive _for all eternity over taking chances on humans, but thank you for trying, Magic Dick."

"I don't know if I like that nickname."

"You've been called worse." She looked pleased with herself for throwing my own words back at me.

"That's true. Some woman called me 'Ken doll' once."

Pam regarded me for a long moment before turning to Sookie. And Sookie stared back. For a long time. I got the distinct feeling that I was missing something, that perhaps they could communicate nonverbally. As I watched, Sookie's eyes widened and filled with rage, her fangs dropping as she hissed. Meanwhile, Pam stared back coolly, her complete control over the situation clear. I wondered what Pam could do to her, if Sookie chose to attack Pam right now, because she was absolutely furious. I could feel the anger rolling off of her in waves.

"Sheriff, may I be excused?" Pam nodded, once, and I followed Sookie out into the dark parking lot.

"I'll meet you at your place."

"Sookie, what-"

"I will explain, when I get to your house." Her eyes blazed into mine, and when I nodded she turned away and promptly shot off into the sky.

I didn't know she could do that.

Once I stopped gaping, I got into my truck and drove back to Bon Temps. It took me just over half an hour, since I floored it, but Sookie still beat me. She was perched on the railing, still and silent as death, the moonlight washing her out so that she looked even paler than usual. I climbed the steps onto the porch and came to a stop in front of her.

"Tell me."

"I'm Divine." Sookie spoke without opening her eyes.

I blinked. "What?"

"When I was human, I was also Divine. It's what drew Pam to me, it's why she turned me. It was an accident, I always knew that, but I figured it was plain old bloodlust. But she told me tonight that I'm like you."

"Oh. Why is that bad?"

"There's something I didn't know. Divines, or rather, human Divines, are biologically predetermined to be sexually attracted to each other, to make shiny little Divine babies. Even if they're just carriers. Chances are, if a Divine has children, it's with another Divine because otherwise it's very hard for them to conceive."

"What about vampire Divines?" I asked, suddenly feeling numb. At last, Sookie opened her eyes.

"There's less information on that. Pam turning me wasn't the brightest idea, even she admits that, even though it turned out well. If a vampire accidentally drains a particularly delicious human, chances are they won't feel inclined to turn them, but Pam panicked. So there isn't much of a precedent; we don't really know, but Pam thinks that since sex itself is a biological drive to procreate, chances are my Divine tendencies haven't gone away, even though I'm dead."

"So she thinks you're with me because of my blood."

"She would be inclined to think I'm keeping you around because of how good you taste. Considering the circumstances, she thinks I'm _with_ you because we're both Divine."

I gulped, feeling parched. "So, how can we tell?"

Sookie met my gaze. "We can't. But I've never truly loved anyone before you, so I'm inclined to believe it."

I thought of how Sookie had said my mother was the Divine gene carrier, and how conception with a non-Divine would be difficult, and how after me my mother had suffered three miscarriages before they'd given up on having other children.

And then I thought about my high school girlfriend, the three girlfriends I had in college, and the string of women I'd occasionally dated back in Bon Temps. None of them, not one of them, stuck out.

Sookie did, like a fucking ray of sunshine on a clichéd cloudy day. Irony aside.

"I don't care."

"What?"

"I don't care. Maybe it's a biological drive to fuck you and make Divine babies, but loving you has nothing to do with that." Sookie stared at me for a long moment, absolutely expressionless, before exhaling air she didn't need.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Is that really all I got? She hopped off the railing and moved to stand in front of me. For the thousandth time I observed that she was so small that if I didn't know better, I'd think she was completely defenseless.

"I was worried you'd question me." Sookie brought my face down to nibble on my lips.

"I was worried you'd question _me_. You're a lot more wary of this, after all."

Again, she stared before her features rearranged themselves into a warm smile. "I'm not, not anymore." She kissed me, her tongue probing gently at mine, and I broke away just long enough to lift her up. "I adore you," she whispered between kisses, and I felt the warm rush of her affection. Sookie wasn't one for flowery words or dramatic displays, but occasionally she said shit that made me melt.  
>Or, whatever dudes do, instead of melting.<p>

888

No matter how busy I got, I always tried to make a point of going to Adele Stackhouse's little farmhouse for lunch every couple of weeks. More often than not, Sam or Lafayette tagged along, and Jason "happened" to drop by for what was without fail a delicious spread. The fact that he was absent yet again was unsettling, because despite my continued efforts to ignore his shenanigans, his presence in my life had been constant ever since kindergarten. Like living next to a highway all your life and suddenly moving to the Hamptons.

But what was even more alarming was the concerned crease between Adele's eyebrows. I waited for her to bring it up as we ate lunch and discussed _Outlaws', _the love lives of Sam, Lafayette, and I, as well as the well-being of my parents. It meant a lot, that she was supportive of Sookie and I. Old-fashioned as Adele was in a lot of ways, she was also one of the most open-minded people I knew, and the sole parental figure to support my decision to graduate high school early and leave my parents' home. Being assured that in her eyes I wasn't committing the worst kind of sin was a huge relief.

Knowing this, I began wondering what the cause of the grim set of her mouth was, since it wasn't my relationship. I got my answer after lunch, as I helped her wash up and she told me of Jason's erratic behaviour. He'd returned from his contracting job in Jackson… different. I'd barely seen him in the month since, and when I had he'd been picking up food for takeout, just enough food for one person, and with hardly a look cast towards any of the single and willing women. I hadn't spent any energy trying to figure out his personal issues, mostly because I figured it was lady troubles.

But apparently, his odd behaviour also included several solo roadtrips, and he'd snapped at Adele every time she'd tried to question him. Plus—and this I had witnessed firsthand last week—he looked like shit.

"Eric, sweetheart, please help him. Lord knows he isn't the sharpest tool in the box, but he's my boy and he won't tell me what's wrong. I have a feeling he'll tell you."

"Adele, I can't help him if he doesn't _want_ me to," I pointed out gently, taking her hand and leading her back to the kitchen table.

"Then you've just gotta be stubborn, like he is," she insisted and leveled me with her grey eyes. "Promise me you'll at least try."

I sighed. It would take a lot to make Adele reach this point of desperation, and had it not been for the look in her eyes, I would probably have apologized and removed myself from the situation. It had been a long time since Jason and I had had a conversation about anything of any importance, so I didn't see how he would be willing to accept my help, assuming he even needed it.

"Alright. Whenever he's back, I'll go talk to him."

"I knew there was a reason I kept feeding you," Adele clapped her hands together and brought out the dessert.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey e'rrybody! Hope life's been treating you well. There's not too much left of this little ditty, but let me know what you think anyways. There's been some tension among Guest reviewers about where I'm taking things, which is interesting because I didn't think I was doing anything controversial? Either way. Feel free to let me know how you really feel NOT on Anonymous.  
>You guys are the best! The next chapter will be up soon (soonsoon, not next-month-soon).<p>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Six<em>

I pulled up in front of the townhouse and did my best to suppress what would have been my thousandth resigned sigh. I'd spent almost a week procrastinating this visit, much to Sam's sadistic delight. Bewildered as he was by the change in Jason's attitude, he was unconvinced that it was indicative of anything ominous.

And neither did I, really, until Jason opened the door in stained LSU sweatpants, bags under his eyes, and hair greased back not with pomade but with a distinct lack of shampoo. I gaped, keenly aware that even in the throes of his worst hangover, Jason had still managed to pull together a decent outfit and a carefully-groomed head.

Adele had been right. This _was_ serious.

He cast me a confused look but let me walk in without a word. Over the course of an hour, and a conversation that I likened to getting wisdom teeth removed without anesthesia, I discovered that Jason Stackhouse, infamous womanizer of Bon Temps was in love.

With a vampire.

From Jackson, Mississippi.

They'd met while he'd been working as a contractor on a construction project at the home of a wealthy vampire whose entourage included the sweet little redhead whose eye Jason had managed to catch. From a distance, because she was locked up, Rapunzel-style. He'd driven back and forth every chance he had just to catch the occasional glimpse of her, but it wasn't easy, especially since she was too young to be left alone by her guardian, the aforementioned wealthy vampire. In fact, she wasn't allowed around humans who were not on the donor rotation at the Edgington manor, so apart from sneaking out a handful of times, the only interaction they'd really had was via phone or internet. In fact, Jason had foolishly tried to spring Red-as I took to calling her after Jason described her-from her luxurious prison, to no avail, and the act of rebellion had resulted in the reins being shortened even further so that Jason hadn't even managed to contact her in the past two weeks. I tried to hide my horror at his idiocy, but sent up a prayer to whoever that he hadn't gotten himself killed.

Still, what made little sense to me was that Jason's lovesickness seemed to be manifesting physically. The way he looked, the pained twist to his features and the graceless jerks of his movements all spoke of a different kind of illness entirely, which he dismissed, based on a doctor visit that had revealed nothing.

Despite my better judgment, I offered what little help I could, which was in effect what help Sookie could offer. She was going to be so very unhappy with me. He accepted begrudgingly, though the hopeful glint in his eyes was indicative of the emotion he was suppressing. I left, now genuinely concerned, and with the sinking feeling that I had far less to offer than would appease either Adele or my own moral compass.

888

"Sookie," I murmured, rustling the sheets to move closer to her. Her eyes were closed, her cool body perfectly still as she basked in her post-coital bliss.

"You can't possibly be ready again."

"No," I chuckled. We'd gone two rounds; not two straight-to-the-orgasm rounds either, two marathon rounds that ended quite loudly in Earth shattering orgasms. "No, I have something to ask of you."

"Go on." She opened her glowing blue vampire eyes, taking my breath away in the process.

"You know Jason?"

"Stackhouse?"

"Yes, your secret descendent Stackhouse."

"What about him?"

"He needs… help."

"From me?" Sookie quirked a brow.

"From a vampire. And I don't know if you've noticed, but you are one."

She gasped out loud, sitting upright. "_What_?"

"Hilarious," I pulled her back down. "He's in love with a vampire."

"Eric, for the purposes of this conversation, let's pretend I _won't_ live forever."

"She's a young, apparently, and belongs to some vampire in Mississippi. Russell Edgington."

"And Jason told you all this?" Sookie interrupted, a cold look on her beautiful face. I knew enough by now to realize that Red, and by extension Jason, had broken many rules in being so candid with vampire secrets. Because really, any tidbit related to vampires was considered a secret.

"He's sick, Sookie. He's physically _sick_. He's been to the doctor, and they can't find anything. I think it's psychological, because he tried to spring Jess from Edgington's compound and it didn't work, and he hasn't been able to see her for a while." It sounded so absurd to think that Jason was actually lovesick, but it was the only thing that made sense.

Sookie just gave me another glacial look, the kind of look that pissed me off and made me want to kiss her, just to see if I could work some warmth back into her. "Come on, you know he only told me because I'm with you. And you know you can trust me," I added, moving to nuzzle her cheek.

"That's not the point. Our way of life isn't to be shared with anybody who ever fucked a vampire. They're _our_ secrets."

I quirked a brow. "Oh I'm sorry, did I forget that we're _just_ fucking? Gee, that's embarrassing."

"You know I didn't mean that." She moved to press an open-mouthed kiss to my neck. "I'm pissed at the baby vamp that was so fucking candid with our information. The information, let me add, that helped my kind stay alive for thousands of years. It's hard for us to be open about it, and not very illogical especially considering the continued hostility my kind endures."

"My kind, my kind, my kind," I muttered, rolling my eyes and moving to sit upright. "So she fucked up. Clearly she's not doing a lot of smart things in Mississippi, but will you still help him?"

"Eric, I have a solid reputation but I'm too young to have any real pull. You want to _spring_ a baby vamp from Jackson, Mississippi? For Jason Stackhouse, the man whose longest relationship has been the time it takes him to finish and get out?"

"He loves her. He genuinely seems to love her, and apparently she loves him back. And I'm worried for him, he's not doing so well."

Something seemed to click in Sookie's mind. "Wait, he's sick?"

"Yeah. He looked like shit." When I'd visited him, he'd lumbered around with a faint curve to his spine, bowing under invisible weight.

Sookie's thoughtful look was replaced with pure outrage, her fangs out. "That stupid, worthless _fleck_ of a vampire."

"What, what's going on?"

"She Bonded with him."

I had a feeling she didn't mean physically. "Bond?"

"Blood Bond."

Whoa. "It can make you sick?"

"If the two people are too far away from each other. A blood Bond forms when a vampire and a human share blood, more than once. There are a lot of requirements for it to actually happen. But once it does… a Bond basically means two people become one. Any nonconsensual distance is uncomfortable, but make that distance huge and the separation long, and you get Bond sickness. I didn't know the details of it until recently because it's not common, and it's not looked upon kindly by other vampires."

"Why not?"

"Because it implies the vampire actually cares about the human. It's like wearing a sign around your neck telling everyone exactly what your biggest vulnerability is. The severing of a Blood Bond is supposedly devastatingly painful for the vampire."

"Just the vampire?"

Sookie gave me a long look. "It's assumed that it's the human who dies first, and even if it was the other way around-"

"Nobody ever bothered asking the human how they felt."

"Right."

"I'm assuming dying is the only way a Bond can be broken?"

Sookie nodded and I sighed. This only made me all the more determined to help Jason. As self-centred and dim-witted as he was, he didn't deserve to suffer through Bond sickness.

"Are you sure it's a Bond?"

"That's the only thing it could be," she responded, lips pressed tight.

Fuck. "Well. We have to help him."

"Eric, it's not that easy," she snorted.

"Why not?"

"Even if I had the motivation to help him, you'd need to have someone, a vampire, who's willing to foster her. If she's living with Russell Edgington, it means he took her in because her Maker abandoned her."

"How do you know that?"

"Because Edgington doesn't turn women."

Oh. "_Oh_. So you know him?"

"Edgington?" She paused. "Yes. I've worked with him."

"I see." There was clearly more to this, but Sookie wasn't about to share anything. Seeming to sense my displeasure with her, she explained, "He's… the King. Of Mississippi."

Oh. "All right. So Jess is his, what, adopted child?"

"I suppose so. You can't just leave a newborn unattended, so he's doing himself a favour by not letting her run rampant."

I nodded. "So we need to line up a guardian for her. I know you won't-"

"I _can't_," she corrected. "I'm too young to be someone's parent. Any vampire can tell you that."

"Okay, what about your Maker?"

Sookie cackled. Outright _cackled_. "Pam is not very parental."

"She parented _you_." I quirked a brow.

"She was lonely," she shrugged. "She wanted a companion, someone to be herself with."

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. "What kind of a companion?"

My lover winked. "You know what kind of a companion."

"Sweet god, Sookie, you have to add to this visual, one way or another."

In response, Sookie moved to straddle me, bringing a hand dangerously close to my cock. With her cool body atop mine, she began to describe, in graphic detail, a particular evening spent with Pam in a hotel room, in the early 1920's. By the time she was done I had her pinned to the bed, fucking her noisily into the mattress until she screamed with her climax, and even then I wasn't done with her.

A few hours later, I rolled over and brushed my lips over her shoulder. "Will you please try to help Jason anyways? Talk to Pam, maybe?"

"Eric, why would I?"

"Because he's your family. Because he might as well be _my _family, with the way we grew up together and Adele practically raised me."

"I thought your family was your family."

I shook my head. I'd never really talked to her about my strained relationship with my parents, so I should have expected her jumping on the chance to question me. "My parents aren't very involved in my life. They haven't been since I graduated high school. Adele is the one who cooks me lunch on weekends and invites me over for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'm not particularly close with Jase any more, but he's always been a part of my life in some capacity. As far back as I can remember. And I'm doing this for Adele. So please do this for me?"

"I don't know, Eric."

"He's like me, Sookie," I pressed. "He's just like me. If you and I were in that situation, you can bet your gorgeous ass I'd fight like hell to get you out."

"This is ridiculous," she muttered.

"I'd fight no matter what. He's _just like me_. Please. Come on. Please?" I tried to arrange my features into the most irresistible look I could manage, and she looked at me for several moments until her features softened into a barely-repressed smile and warm blue eyes.

"I can try."

"Thank you!" I kissed her, hard. "That's all I want."

888

"I can't believe you talked me into doing this."

I looked over and she took her eyes off the road for a second. She'd been bouncing back and forth between disbelief and begrudging acceptance for the past week. To be honest, I spent a whole lot of time wondering if I was completely insane, for getting tangled up in vampire business for someone I was barely friends with. If it had been anybody but Adele asking, I probably wouldn't have even considered it. And, I had to admit, he and Sam had been like brothers to me for the most part of my life. Dumb and self-absorbed as he was, Jason Stackhouse had a good heart. "I'd like your support." I needed it, really. I needed a vampire on my side, here.

"You have it." Her response was instantaneous. "_You_ have it. Maybe Adele does too, because she means so much to you, but Jason?"

"I know. And I told you, I'm doing it to help Adele. I just think it's worth a try." We didn't speak until we were once again inside Fangtasia, knocking on Pam's door. This time, she called us in immediately and Sookie shot me a look before leading me inside.

"Two visits in one month, Susannah?" Pam quirked a brow from her seat at the desk. Her dress tonight was a far cry from her girly getup of the last time—in fact, it was about as far as she could get, in the black latex corset and black leather pants. She looked like a dominatrix. Her eyes flickered to me when she sensed my heartbeat picking up.

"I can never get enough of my favourite Maker", Sookie grinned.

"Uh huh. What do you want?"

Sookie shot me another look, this time an expectant one, and I cleared my throat. "Actually I was the one who needed to see you." Pam trained her frosty gaze on me and I soldiered on. "I need help getting a baby vamp, well, getting her out, I guess. From Edgington's mansion."

"No." Her voice firm, gaze hard.

"What, you're not even going to hear me out?" I quirked a brow back at her.

"Listen, bloodbag. Just because Susannah here thinks you're worth the trouble, doesn't mean I do."

"Pam-"

"You will speak when you're spoken to, _human_."

I frowned, finding Sookie as confused as I felt. Vicious as she was, I could have sworn Pam liked me the last time we met.

"Pam," it was Sookie's turn to interject. "What-"

"Go wait outside," Pam snapped at me, ignoring my frown and awaiting my exit. I raised my brow at Sookie.

"Go on," she nodded, and so I was banished to the hallway like some disobedient child. I absently watched a human and vampire go at it against the wall down the hall by the bathrooms, still lost in thought. Not that Pam had been particularly chummy the last time we'd met, but this time she'd been downright hostile. Threatening. During the many hours we'd spent talking in bed, Sookie had told me about all the times Pam had saved her, even after they'd parted ways. No matter the problem, Pam had never spared any effort to help out her one Child, so there was no question as to the depth of their connection. No question as to whether or not Pam would ever hurt Sookie, no matter how angry she seemed right now. I wasn't worried.

Well, I was fairly worried, but that had more to do with Sookie's nonchalance regarding the whole sleeping-with-her-assignment thing. Sooner or later it was going to get us in trouble, and Pam's attitude tonight led me to believe that it had already started to.

When Sookie emerged, twenty minutes later, we drove home in silence. Cross with her for not telling me what had happened, I dropped her off at the cottage and turned my truck towards home.

Where I found her in my bed.

"You know, dropping you off was a hint that I need time away from you."

"Too bad," she responded mildly, and wrapped her body around mine like she knew exactly how much she affected me when she touched me that way. When she brought her body so close to mine that hers warmed up. "I love you."

"I know," I murmured into her hair. She smelled like my shampoo. "Pam's mad that you're with me, isn't she?"

"She's worried for me."

I nodded, incapable of forming words that would help. "Can you read her thoughts?"

"I used to, until I learned to put up shields. And soon after that, Pam learned to put up shields, so no. I can't read her mind. She's just honest with me."

Unlike Sookie, who'd made subterfuge into an art form. With tightness in my chest, I shut my eyes and tried to find sleep.

888

"We're sure that nobody's seen him? He's not holed up with some new girl?" Sam asked, casting a look around our circle. Adele had called the restaurant after closing, the panic barely suppressed in her tone as she'd explained the situation. Jason had gone to Jackson two days ago, and he hadn't called; not Friday night, not Saturday, and not today. Adele was adamant that something was wrong, since she'd drilled it into his thick skull that he needed to call her to check in when he was out of town, especially lately. And he'd done so, up until now.

Despite my outer calm, I was concerned. Looking around at my two best friends and my girlfriend, I had to admit that it was well-founded. Adele was fluttering around us, playing the ever-gracious hostess despite my many suggestions that we leave her little farmhouse, so she could sleep. She'd brushed it off, claiming that she was too worried to sleep even a wink. I couldn't blame her.

After my talk with Jason I had relayed the bare minimum to Adele, not wanting to concern her more than was necessary with all the vampire talk. Jason chasing after a girl wasn't anything new, and I'd done my best to downplay his physical symptoms as some combination of hangovers and the flu. She'd accepted my explanation, begrudgingly, but with the recent developments I'd been forced to explain everything. Sookie, to my surprise, had been fine with me explaining the bonding thing, but was looking as uncomfortable as I'd ever seen her, in the home of her descendent. Her great-grandson's wife's home, to be specific. And I was the only one who knew the connection, since Sookie was astoundingly secretive about her life. The mere fact that I'd discovered her last name had been an accident, otherwise I would have been in the dark too.

Regardless, Adele now knew all the specifics about Jason's situation, and had beaten me up with a rolled up newspaper in punishment for lying to her.

"And we're sure he even went to Jackson?" Sam spoke up again.

"It's our only lead, man."

"Stop yo' whining, Samuel. Nobody's askin' you to do anythin'." Lafayette kicked out with a foot, catching Sam in the thigh.

"I know, I know."

I took a deep breath and looked over at Sookie. "I need to go to Jackson."

"You can't go alone," she murmured back, gaze locked on mine. She knew what I was thinking; no matter how persistent I was, there was no way I'd even get anywhere without a vampire, in what was undoubtedly going to be dealings with vampires.

"You'll come with me?"

She sighed and gave me an _are you a fucking idiot _look.

"You guys can do without me for a couple of days, right?" I addressed the boys.

"We got'cho back, hookeh," Lafayette nodded, slapping my back hard enough that I almost missed Adele's next words.

"When are we leaving?"

"Adele, you can't come with us."

"Like heck I can't, young man." She frowned, hands on her hips.

"The less people that go, the better it is." I frowned up at her from my seat on the ground. Beside me, Sookie had stiffened even further.

"I raised that boy. You are _not _telling me that I have to sit here and wait for you to bring him back to me."

"It's the _best _choice, Adele." Sam reached gently for the old woman. "They'll bring him back, you know they will. Eric's as stubborn as you are; you seriously think he can't handle Jason?" He cracked a little smile that Adele barely responded to.

I rose to my feet too, and approached the woman who'd been a mother to me when I'd needed it most. "Please. It'll make things so much easier to know that you're safe at home. Please, Adele."

She regarded me, pale blue eyes piercing through. "You're going to call me every day, Eric Northman. Twice a day. If you miss a single call, I will personally follow you over there, you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am." I grinned down to press a kiss to her wrinkled cheek.

"So when are you leaving?"

I glanced over at Sookie for confirmation. "Tonight. Sun rises, what, seven?"

"Six-fifty," my girl spoke softly.

"We leave now, we should have just enough time to find a place for you to rest, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay then." We quickly said our goodnights and dashed out to my bike. I had to stop by my place to pack and pick up my truck, so Sookie ran home to pack and meet me there. I took a deep breath and reached to start my bike, but stopped short when I saw Sam run out after me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, and for the first time I saw the fear in his eyes. "This is crazy, you know. He could be held captive by those vamps, and then what?"

"If he is, I can't just leave him there, can I?" Not when Adele had reached out to me. I felt responsible, in the way I'd had way back in elementary school when my height had already set me apart, and I could defend Jason against the shitheads that bullied him for being an orphan.

"Goddammit, Eric. How do you even know he's not dead, huh?"

"I don't! I don't know anything, but I know that if it were me, I'd pray for somebody to come for me. Jason's an idiot and a nuisance but he's not a bad guy. We fucking grew up together; how are you so cavalier about his life?"

"How are you so cavalier about yours, moron?"

"Fuck, Sam. C'mon. Are you seriously telling me you want me to sit back and do nothing? I'd do this for you."

"And I'd do it for _you, _but not for _Jason._"

I shook my head. "You're lying to yourself if you seriously think that. I appreciate your concern, Sammy, I really do, but I'm still going to do this. It'd be nice if you could just support my decision instead of being pissed off."

My best friend huffed, running a hand through his shaggy mop of brown hair. "I can't fucking believe…" He mumbled to himself for a moment. "Just, be careful, okay? No theatrics. You're not dealing with humans, here."

"I know. Thanks, man. I'll let you know when we get to Jackson."

He nodded once, sharply. "Good. Drive safe."

"Good night, Sam."


End file.
